Player, Not Played
by Archmage Ansrit
Summary: When a little girl decides to go and become a Player Chara- I mean, a Pokémon Trainer. Being a Pokémon herself. (The Gamer) (Pokémon Pokémon Trainer OC)
1. Turn 1 - New Game

The Nutcracker's Russian Dance jingled merrily in 8 bits of glory for a moment, before the screen was filled by a space shuttle taking off into space.

Riolu smiled, inhaling deeply with closed eyes at the feeling of calm after one of her daily meditations.

It _so_ counted as meditation. She slipped out of the world and focused into the _one_ action.

All of her stray thoughts banished if only for the duration of her game.

_Through repeatedly sharpening your focus and emptying your mind, your WIS has gone up by 1!_

See? The Gamer agreed!

It had been two weeks or so from the first time the translucent blue window had appeared before her cherry-red eyes, telling her how through training on the balancing pole she had increased her AGI, obviously her **AGI**lity, in one point. She'd tried Aura Sight on it, but it looked exactly the same under it as to her unaugmented eyes.

It freaked her out a little.

Personal philosophies and quirks of personality aside, there were still things that could be a bit too much for her.

At least Gamer's Mind activated and let her analyze the situation logically and calmly. To be honest, the fact that whatever had granted her this "Gamer" skill could affect her emotional state so thoroughly as to prevent it from having impact on her rationality would be more concerning if that were not her default state of being.

In her opinion, going crazy over whenever or not something could or could not be happening, over how weird it was (or should be)... it was all a waste of time. Reality was stranger than fiction, and gaining The Gamer proved it. It- that is, the ability itself, merely acknowledged it, formalized it, and made it so that it would catch her whenever she slipped.

Her acceptance and logical thinking had earned her one more point of INT.

Speaking of catching, it should be about... now, right? It was certainly not so early as to catch the humans in the middle of breakfast, right?

She carefully packed away her GameBoy Advance, after taking the cartridge off, naturally, into her travel bag; an old, slightly-faded, stretchy yellow bag far too large for her, so she had to tie up the handle to prevent it from dragging through the floor. Her games secure, she hefted her spear from where she had left it (to the side of her resting point) and placed it in her bag, point poking out of the flap; it was a somewhat ugly thing due to the cobbled-together look, various ground-type pokémon bones having been fused into one by experienced Lucario by using Bone Rush... it looked uneven, but it was well-balanced and wouldn't shatter if the influence of her aura ran out and got struck.

And the feel and taste of her own residual aura after training with it was oddly soothing.

She'd train with it later; for now, she had to speak with the man currently going _towards_ the building she was... uh... _observing_.

_Through repeating actions of stealth and surveillance, Stealth has reached level 4! Tracking has reached level 6!_

Shut up, Gamer.

With a quick check of Aura Sense... Yup, it was that same coffee-tinted chocolate with that undertone of... of being just by the forge-fire. It's a sort of heat that you could _feel_ deeply into your being, a feeling of fire and metal that speaks of hard work and determination, of a way to shape the future. His grey hair and wrinkles did not really detract from the way he held himself.

_The Far-Sighted Looker evolved into the title of The Quiet Observer!_

Again. SHUT. UP.

In any case. He was there, aura every bit as imposing as it was welcoming; the way she had felt and tasted a week ago, when she snuck into his conference. He radiated satisfaction, so likely he had a filling breakfast. Getting closer just confirmed it as she looked into the words floating above his head.

_Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak. Lv ?  
Retired Champion. Absent-Minded Genius. One Who Has Chosen. Time Traveler._

She could have gone to Professor Rowan and saved a week's travel, but that title... "One Who Has Chosen", could not be coincidence. Also, leveling Observe three more times apparently revealed that the man had gotten tangled with either serious mad science, or Celebi. Heck, if he said he'd met Dialga she'd believe him. That and the fact that his level was so high she could not see it meant he had much, much more experience than the other professors at the conference.

Besides, if she had gone to the closest lab she wouldn't have met such a... quirky potential companion as Pikachu.

She really needed to think of a nickname that did NOT call attention to his peculiarities.

"Hmm? A Riolu all the way here?" Samuel Oak mused out loud, crouching down to her level and looking her over. "Are you going somewhere?"

She nodded showing some nerves not quite soothed by Gamer's Mind. Stiffly, she raised one paw into the air and screwed her eyes tightly shut.

"_I- I want to become a Pokémon Trainer!_" She broadcast her thoughts and yet even Aura couldn't make her sound like she wasn't getting some serious stage fright. She knew she had overdone it with the volume of her actual, physical voice when the professor rubbed his ears.

Gamer's Mind kept her rational and protected her from mental influences and pollution, it didn't keep her from being stupid all on her own.

"Hnnn." The man groaned as her stood back up, chuckling in clear amusement that did not require a Riolu's empathy to detect. "Alright, we'll get started on that right away... but..."

She swallowed as she focused on the man currently pondering... something.

"First of all, are you a boy? or are you a girl?" The simplicity of his question was like lifting a weight, only to replace it with icy water from the whiplash. "It's very hard to tell with Riolu."

That... was most likely true, for humans.

"_I, uh, I'm a girl._" She replied while awkwardly tugging on the strap of her bag with both paws, slightly embarrassed. He was feeling... a little silly, if what she was picking up was any indication. "_And, uh, I don't have a name yet._"

"OK, then come on in." He took a card from his pocket and swiped it in front of a keypad, making it beep and turn on. After quickly punching in the code, the door slid open.

"After you." He said, giving her enough time to get over her nerves and embarrassment.

"_You are taking this very calmly._" She managed to say, feeling how his emotions turned to amusement.

"You see many strange things when it comes to Pokémon." His smile and mix of emotions made her think back to his title of 'Time Traveler'. That and 'One Who Has Chosen'.

Did The Gamer word the title like that, or even _made up_ the title, because of what her mother told her? or was there something else at play?

"You can leave your bag over there." He gestured to a series of wall-mounted coat and hat racks at roughly human head, shoulder, and elbow height. "Please, take a seat; I would love to hear more about you."

Slinging the handle onto the lowest hook she could reach, she headed for the nearest couch. It was an interesting place, with a lobby much the same as any human's home would have... the ambiance was inviting and spoke of warmth.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked as he moved through one of the doors to the side - likely a kitchen. "Please forgive me, my assistant is out on errands for me so it will be a small while before tea is ready."

"_Tha-that's fine._" She hopped onto a pink ottoman next to the table, not for the first time wondering if human children felt the same as she did with her legs dangling from the edge. "_I'm fine with anything._"

She was sure that, if it was someone else rather than her, they would use this time to go through other scenarios in their minds, ways the conversation could go; someone else might have been excited, or nervous - maybe even doubt if they were making the right choice.

She was slightly empty and numb, remembering her mother waking up crying and vomiting.

She gripped her own knees tightly, staring at the table.

"Green tea and some rice crackers." Oak placed a tray with the aforementioned items in front of her, serving her a cup before taking a seat on the couch, close to her. "I would love to know more about the reasons that brought you here; one would think that a Pokémon that travels with a spear on hand would think about things other than being a trainer."

This was it.

"_A little bit of it was that I grew up with stories of Sir Aaron and his friend Lucario._" She said, paying attention as to how he wilted, just a little. He knew. "_But it was my mother and... something that happened. IS happening, still. It made me think this was the best way to do something about it._"

She took a quick sip of the tea, if only to give herself time.

His concern was real. The intensity of his focus was comparable to that of an elder Lucario in all aspects. He would not, could not even think of bringing them harm.

The tea was good, too.

**Green Tea:**  
**Store-bought tea prepared with purified water. Made recently, it's at the perfect temperature to consume. The concentration and brew time are perfect, but you feel it needs a little sugar. The floral cup is a refined, understated design popular with lovers of Grass-type Pokémon.**

She closed her eyes and steeled herself.

Inhale, exhale.

**You've used Calm Mind. SpAt/SpDe rose! Emotions have settled down, reducing influence of stress!**

"_My mother can... see things._" She began, paws idly tapping her knees. "_She's been blind since she hatched, but she had an unusually powerful Future Sight, Foresight, Detect, and the like, so it wasn't like it was a factor. The... I hesitate to use the word 'problem' but it can be one at times- it began when she evolved into Lucario._"

A flash of curiosity and thirst of knowledge was suppressed so quickly it would have been easy to say it was imagined, if not for the small movement that indicated that the professor almost said something, likely to ask a question.

She was grateful for his restraint.

"_Nothing to the extent of an actual, gifted psychic like Natu and Xatu... but enough._" She gripped her knees more tightly almost without noticing it. "_Enough to see how things might be, how they could have been._"

She managed to meet his eyes even as she felt tears start to form on her own.

"_She calmed my nightmares and taught me many things. She's my mother._" Her voice wavered with her Aura, averting her gaze as her claws started to dig into her skin. "_Can you imagine how it feels like when **she** is the one that needs help? When the darkness that haunts her is so much bigger than yours?_"

She sniffled, Gamer's Mind allowing her to continue despite the pain at the feeling of impotence.

"_She's dreamed of horrible things happening; to everyone, to **me**._" Her grip started to actually hurt her, making her lose a single hit point. "_I can't do anything. I can't just hold her and tell her it's going to be fine, not until she wakes up, and she _keeps chasing_ those things, to **know**, even as she's crying again._"

_Whimpering in shock and horror as she held the dead in her arms. Usually her and her father._

"_And again._"

_Crying out in terror as something struck at her with deadly force._

"_And **again**._"

_Vomiting upon waking up from the feeling of being thrown around by great forces and killed, sometimes doing so upon the ones trying to wake her._

"_And she always feels from the point of view of this 'her' she sees, so it **always** feels like the first time._" She full on crying by that, rubbing her tears away with her paws only to let fresh ones fall. "_And- and-_"

A hand landed on her head, spreading the feeling of warmth through her veins and interrupting her; the scent of chocolate and coffee hitting her directly into her core. The Professor was kneeling besides her with a kind, supportive smile, telling her that it would all be right without uttering a single word.

"_And- and then she _looks_, she looks to the future, to see it all end._" She would have breathed out the words at a whisper if she were not using Aura to communicate. "_She turns to **me** and tells **me** it will pass, because someone **chose**._"

"Chose... what, exactly?" He spoke tenderly as he dabbed a handkerchief at her fur, drying her tears.

"_Just... chose._" She accepted one of the crackers that he handed her, as she sniffed to clear her nose. "_She says it was because of her first dream, of something that could have been a long, long time ago._"

"_She swears it could only have been Arceus, even if it had been nothing but sounds just on the edge of her perception as she balanced between awareness and sleep. A thousand voices, all different, all speaking like one, in perfect harmony: It is not about Destiny elevating One to face danger, but Fortune that some shall stand to face Destiny by Choice._" She met his eyes again, and saw the spark of recognition dawn in his eyes, and his aura lit up with... pride? "_I don't just want to be stronger to get her to stop worrying; I want to be strong enough that she will see me in her good dreams, see me to chase her nightmares away. I can't do that alone._"

Oak made a sound of understanding as he sat back down, staring towards the ceiling and taking a contemplative sip of the now-lukewarm tea.

"While I can... sort-of see why you would decide to go out yourself instead of joining a human trainer, I want to know something else; why me?" He stared into the cup as if he could divine the answer from it. "If my guess is right, Professor Rowan lives so much closer to your home than I do. You could have started there."

"_That is- well..._" She knew he would ask and she was _still_ not ready. "_Part of it is your field of study: Human-Pokémon interaction and relationship._"

Oak hummed in contemplation. His research would surely help a Pokémon understand how and why a human did what they did - it was not as simple as choosing attacks to fire off against opponents, oh no, there were many nuances to those choices that humans explored during their training. Perspective; human perspective was radically different from a Pokémon's, and added to human adaptability, it made human-trained Pokémon stronger and more flexible than their wild counterparts.

"_Then there are those two trainers, also from Pallet- the ones that keep making the news; they solved many of the things my mother saw. I want to know anything you can tell me about them. I also want to thank them, for helping her..._" To which Oak smiled; that was _definitely_ pride he was feeling.

"_Another part is because I also see things. What I see tells me that you're not like the other professors; you've **chosen**._" He directed a questioning eyebrow at her, but she still knew the moment his mind turned to when he made choices in the context she had established. "_I don't know what, I don't know where or when... I have been seeing the world through the lens of a videogame, and it just told me you've traveled through time. Maybe it was then._"

The bombshell made him widen his eyes and fumble a cracker, but he recovered quickly, setting down the food as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Just when you think you're inured to surprises." He muttered in equal parts exasperation, curiosity, wonder, and confusion. "I'm guessing you want to swap stories?"

"_I wasn't going to ask._" She pressed the tips of her paws together, a bashful smile on her muzzle. "_I mean, I'm not opposed. I just wanted some help with my plan, and maybe some books on sewing you could spare, but I don't mind hearing about more adventures._"

Well, the world still had many surprises for the old scientist, it seemed.


	2. Turn 2 - Name Your Character

_Strawberry Delight Cupcake (x12)_

_A marvelous confection filled with a mother's gratitude._

_Made from fresh strawberries and Moomoo milk; topped with hand-made frosting, strawberry slices, and strawberry sauce; with a smooth, fluffy texture that coats the mouth with its flavor, it is truly a delight from start to finish. It happens to have a similar taste to its maker's Aura - at least according to Riolu, The Gamer._

_Makes you feel adorable just from holding it, and its sweet scent makes you feel wired._

_Contains high amounts of love._

_Effect (each)(under current conditions): Restore 75 HP, Friendship +10 (+10 Aura-sense bonus), Affection +5 (+5 Aura-sense Bonus), Fullness/Sheen/Luster +20, Cuteness +++, boosts Speed in athletic challenges by one step._

* * *

Oak barely had to give it any thought. A Pokémon Pokémon trainer, with such an unconventional power, merited a Pokédex; the durable and versatile HANDY 990, resembling her beloved Gameboy Advance - much as how the HANDY 505 and the 808 from a couple of years ago resembled an original Gameboy/cellphone hybrid. The card-like HANDY 980 was a tad on the frail side for Pokémon use, he figured. Riolu was already using hers to document her journey by taking pictures of food.

To be fair, that lady had developed what could only be called powerful food sorcery, and the emotional significance of the gift (something which this particular Riolu could apparently _literally _taste) certainly deserved being preserved. She _did_ cry and thanked her for her son helping out her own mother like so - it was just a little odd to be thanked for things that had not even happened yet, and some which never would, although that was the point after all.

That, and she was adorab- alright, posing with a cupcake for selfies was starting to get out of hand.

"What are you doing?" The professor looked up from the (digital) form he was filling up with surprisingly little differences from a human trainer.

"_This!_" She held out the cupcake she had been posing with, the rose of strawberry slices dripping with sauce drooped a little from the suddenness of the motion. "_This thing is __**wizardry**__. Observe said I'd feel adorable just holding it, and I ate one, and then I remembered something a Pikachu told me, and then I started taking pictures, and now I know more moves!_"

Technically, she had obtained a few, relevant skills, _then_ they merged into Moves when she ran the tiniest bit of power through them.

__Through repeated actions to make yourself look charming, you have obtained new skills and leveled others!__

* * *

_**[Fascinate] (Active) (NEW!) Lv. 2 (EXP: 1.77%):**_

_The user acts in such a way as to evoke interest and attraction, leaving spectators spellbound by cuteness._

_**Current level:**__ Possibly distracts witnesses for 2.2 seconds; depending on gender and orientation up to 2.2 additional seconds are gained and gains small chance to infatuate._

* * *

_**[Entice] (Active) Lv. 10 (EXP: 96.11%):**_

_The user acts in such a way as to evoke attraction and provoke infatuation, making enemies less motivated to harm her, and raise affection in allies. Duration increases with target's preference, up to double the original length; personal attachment to the user improves strength of the effect._

_**Current level:**__ Small chance to infatuate valid target; 6 second slight reduction of benefits of STR, INT, and WIS stats, as well as loss of benefits of willpower and perception skills, upon failing a will/mental check - at current level enemy fails automatically if their resistance skills are level 5 or under, succeeds automatically if they are 13 or above.  
On allies, effects of friendly teasing vary; it mostly depends on if they are the kind to be distracted by their allies being charming. Do not use near idiots or on those with low Friendship._

* * *

_**[Enchant] (Active) Lv. 2 (EXP: 2.23%):**_

_Whisper sweet nothings to valid orientation target. Reduces enemies' physical power/will to fight with a chance to infatuate and raises allies' morale._

_**Current level:**__ Slight chance to infatuate foes and slight reduction of benefits from STR; allies receive extra STR benefits._

* * *

_**[Fawn] (Active) (NEW!) Lv. 1 (EXP: 0.10%):**_

_Flattery will get you everywhere; by saying just the right things, the user bolsters the target's confidence and spirit. Increases target's willpower. Only usable on targets with compatible orientation._

_**Current level:**__ Slight increase to target's chance to resist/overcome status afflictions, increase HP restoration effects by 1/16th outside of battle, 1/32th in battle._

* * *

_**[Swoon] (Active) (NEW!) Lv. 1 (EXP 0.50%):**_

_Nothing can compare to the tender affections of a lady; let them think they have you, and you will have them wrapped around your pawpads for you to do as you please._

_**Current level:**__ Slight chance to infatuate those trying to infatuate the user, additional chance at half-rate if user does become infatuated._

* * *

_**[Confound] (Active) (NEW!) Lv. 1 (EXP 0.00%):**_

_Random behavior and actions that make enemies wonder about the user's mental health. They may confuse the target._

_**Current level:**__ Chance to confuse targets for 2 seconds._

* * *

"Two questions." Oak said after reading all the windows that Riolu had in front of her. "The first that came to me was that I thought Gamer's Mind was supposed to make you immune to being charmed, so..."

"_If Michelle Pfeiffer blew a kiss at you, would __**you**__ hit her?_" She shot back, making the professor chuckle embarrassedly. "_It allows me to __**think**__, it doesn't actually help me make good decisions._"

Professor Oak was glad that this little Pokémon had decided on him for her journey, as her ability had an effect upon her that she seemed only half-aware of, and someone with a different field of study might not catch it from focusing on the parts of it relevant to _their_ research. The thing was, she had a very human way of thinking at times, with the decidedly-Pokémon rationale rearing up at curious intervals. That, and her increases to her mental attributes had also made a mess of her mental maturity, something she did **not** need any help with as a "baby" Pokémon over a year of age.

"In any case, the second question is: why are these descriptions so...?"

"_Snippy? They are proof that the world is alive and has a consciousness, I guess - and it's a jerk._" She replied tiredly while scratching her head; she shrugged as she climbed into the couch. "_Descriptions get odd when... I don't even know when, it just happens, although it happens more often when it's because of silly things._"

The professor decided to leave her be for the moment; there would be more opportunities to observe the changes through the journey. He turned back to the computer, and thus the forms.

"It's surprising how none of these forms really make a distinction between human and non-human applicants; the _assumption_ is there, of course, but other than the regulations for the protection of the starting trainer, nothing requires any additional steps for a _Pokémon_ Pokémon trainer." He looked up to see Riolu holding a CD with an e-book on sewing to her forehead, much like a TM.

"_Are they going to be a problem?_" The thing broke appart into bands of light and glimmering sparks before being absorbed into her, again, much like the single-use TMs for trainer use a few years back.

"No, because you aren't human and thus they do not apply - the closest thing are the regulations for starter pokémon, to ensure the trainers are protected. You obviously fulfill them, considering the distance you traveled on foot."

"_Three mountains and two __**and a half**__ canyons in a single night!_" She cheered, throwing a paw into the air with a howl-ish whoop, tail wagging in joy and thumping against the couch. "_The neighbor's kid made fun of me for playing _Princess Maker II_, well, guess what? I'm __**still**__ better than you are!_"

"And The Gamer didn't play a part on it." Professor Oak shot with a smirk.

"_Not really, actually, since only a single stat point and the low level skills don't make a difference at this stage._" She retorted, puffing her chest out with pride. "_I was busy with other experiments and planning._"

Right, like how she could have four (so far) Moves 'on tap' for quick use at reduced cost but limited number of uses (then the cost started to climb), and how her own abilities also seemed to go into a 'currently equiped' slot that automatically activated the selected one without her having to so much as poke at them. She still used all of her skills as normally as possible, since that seemed to increase her proficiency in them much faster.

And the inventory, of course. The bag was mostly a distraction, a smoke-screen, since it would be quite suspicious to see someone traveling without so much as a water bottle, or pulling things out of mid-air... like those Bone Rush spears, nunchaku, and what not that the Lucario made for the Riolu to practice with until they could make their own. Seeing a cute little pokémon such as her twirling around those things and catching them with her mouth mid-swing was adorable.

Explained how she got a level into the 'being cute' skill. Speaking of which...

"Why do you have a seduction skill, and why is it so high?"

"_I uh..._" She was speaking as if she was trying to remember something confusing. "_I met a pair of Pikachu near Viridian, and they had been reading magazines and seeing some TV shows in display cases. They got __**really**__ interested in fashion, although I think that the male of the pair is a bit too much into it? I __**do**__ know that boys aren't supposed to be using skirts other than kilts... I think._"

The headlines would read: Professor Samuel Oak publishes paper revealing impact of human society upon Pokémon. After all, a Riolu slightly obsessed with videogames, to the point some higher power gave her the ability to turn her world into one... and now Pokémon accidental crossdressers.

Wait a second.

"That's the reason you were looking into obtaining sewing skills, isn't it?" The investigation on Riolu was getting more and more interesting. "I'm assuming they want to go with you?"

"_Yeah, one of them. At least, at a time; something about one keeping the pichu in the community out of trouble, since they tend to shock themselves silly all the time._"

"One last detail." Oak said, getting her attention right away; likely a result of her natural capacity to sense emotion. "We need a name for you; you can't just go everywhere being simply 'Riolu'."

She put her paws together and brought them to her lips, deep in thought.

"There is no character limit in real life, just so you know." Professor Oak shot yet again, this one succeeding in making her shrink and chuckle sheepishly.

"_Theresa Aziza Alexandra Avyanna Luisa Catarina Renenet._" She said, blowing a raspberry at him at the end, to which he could only laugh.

"I guess I earned that!" He said from behind his hand, laughing still. "And why not? You will have better nicknames than most Pokémon!"

She made a choking noise.

"_I was just messing around!_" She cried out, a blush spreading all over her face. "_I just strung together names from a bunch of NPCs I liked!_"

"They are still good names, the meanings of some I remember." He told her, now more serious but still in a good mood. "Don't look at me like that - I'm a _grandfather_, do you have any idea how many baby names my wife and I have gone over?"

"Now I just need the proper spelling of those..." Oak trailed off as he opened a web browser on the side, only to see a new window pop up in front of the soon-to-be trainer, currently busy covering her face with her paws.

_Chosen Name: Theresa Aziza Alexandra Avyanna Luisa Catarina Renenet_

_Is this correct?_

_**Yes (Y) No (N)**_

Oak then started to type away, getting her quest to save the world for fun, profit, and her mother's health one step closer to begin.

Elsewhere, a certain Lucario would be very happy about a video call that she had not even gotten yet, and asked to be addressed as "Mrs. Renenet" from now on.


	3. Turn 3 - Choose (Or Catch) Your Starter

_Rubber Duckie_

_A miraculous item capable of transforming the most tedious morning's bath into a time of relaxation and bliss with its squeezable body. It will float on water, just make sure you dry it out after use!_

_It provides stress relief for jaws and paws, and the sound it makes is the sound angels make when they smile._

_One of the greatest, most wonderful things ever made in modern times, up there with sliced bread, flavored jerky, indoor plumbing, and portable gaming._

* * *

Alex, or Lexi, or whatever the wonderful human that gave her happiness in bouyant form wanted to call her stared into the body of the rubber duckie held between her paws, close to her nose.

_Squeee~... Squeee~..._

Since the professor had no starter to give her, and she strangely counted both as her own starter _and_ a Pokémon on loan from her mother, he had decided to give her something that canine Pokémon liked.

_Squeee~... Squeee~..._

A squeaky toy.

_Squeee~... Squeee~..._

"_You are telling me I can buy these for just six-hundred Pokén?_" She asked, transfixed. She gently bit into the toy, softly enough not to make it squeak.

_It was amazing._

"Well, yes." Oak replied, amused as to her bright smile. "About the price of a Great Ball, for reference - say, do you have any Pokéballs? Because Pallet Town rarely carries them."

Theresa flinched slightly, taking the duck out of her mouth and simply placing it inside the inventory screen that flashed into existence in front of her for a second.

"_I have one, but it's already keyed to me._" She pouted. "_I can't believe I forgot - well, I thought I could just get some here, instead of trying to farm random drops from The Gamer._"

"I have a couple left over from the last time a trainer was here, but you'll need more; Viridian City shops always stock them, due to the gym, and maybe you should think about those extras that you have been noticing."

"_Now I'm very, very glad I've been getting money from the random rewards for doing things, since I thought all I'd need for the first few weeks would be Pokéball refills._" She took out the duckie and looked at it. "_I'm still totally sending this back home, though._"

"Ah, yes, speaking of which... why were you just barking into the phone?" Oak's mind turned back to the call, when the newly-minted trainer ID was shown off (despite it not being a video call, because seeing the future was convenient like that) and her mother being informed of her new name. Something must have happened then, because she was blushing an awful lot.

The little pokémon just stared at him like he just grew a third eye, as if she did not quite understand the reason for the question.

"_Aura and telepathy don't work over the phone._" She replied, leveling a flat stare at the professor. "_Unless you're stupid powerful._"

Diversionary tactics then.

"Do you want another duck?"

"_Can I have one?!_" She asked excitedly with stars in her eyes.

"I buy in bulk." The professor shrugged, relieved the deflection had worked so well. "By the crate, each toy is only around twenty-five Pokén."

Professor Oak pondered the effects of The Gamer while his newest trainer debated the merits of the spiky ball, the bone, or another duckie. Using the Pokédex in conjunction with her Observe skill had resulted in 'Pokémon Scan', which at the current level was like a condensed, summarized version of a medical check-up, with both the basic height and weight measurements, the attributes and statistics as measured by The Gamer, any status the Pokémon has, and some background information on the specimen itself.

Of no lesser importance were the menus unlocked with her trainer card. Specifically, 'Pokémon', 'Storage', and the item transfer option for her inventory. To transfer Pokémon on hand back and forth to different places was nothing new, much less for Pokédex holders; the HANDY 505 had buttons dedicated to the function before the advances in the hardware and software allowed the simplification of the user interface.

It was the _interaction_ with this... this adaptable and versatile power what fascinated him.

That The Gamer interfaced with the Pokédex in such a way as to access its functions like that... each development made him more and more glad that little Miss Renenet had decided to travel all the way to Pallet instead of visiting the much-closer Sandgem - not that he had anything against Professor Rowan, what with their studies having helped each other so much through their careers, but the Pokédex being his own work, Oak was naturally quite interested in seeing this development first-hand.

He wanted to see what effect, if any, it would have with other trainer accessories. She aknowledged that she would benefit from getting a Navigator Plus or Enhanced Gear, if only for the phone and berry bush-tracking functions in such a durable little package.

With a slight *beep*, his computer announced that it had finished the file transfer. His published research, both in standard electronic and audiobook formats, centered about the difference between wild Pokémon and trainer Pokémon performance and intelligence, and several studies into the human side as well.

She was likely to need it.

Which reminded him that he'd need to get in touch with... oh wow, at least half a dozen other professors and doctors, to make an expansion on the research of the bonds between trainer and Pokémon.

"Just take the three, keep the one you want with you, and give your mother the others." Oak decided that she had been sufficiently distracted, if the sounds of indecision and vague aura of frustration coming from that side of the room were any indication.

* * *

There was a sound coming from the PC.

It was not exactly a common feature in the homes of Lucario, but given that things like magazines, newspapers, and TV news reports could induce - or delimit and/or refine - revelations and visions of the future, she had managed to get one.

And then she had an egg, and the rest is simultaneously history and something yet to come.

Did Celebi ever run into that kind of temporal pretzels? She knew that Absol and Gardevoir did, at the least.

(Who ever even knew what Xatu thought about the whole deal.)

Maybe the sound was something from Lu? Oh, she just had to celebrate!

That phone call with the mother of that other Pallet trainer will be very illuminating, convincing her to get her little puppy to call her simply 'mom', eschewing the formalities.

"Eeee!" She felt giddy just thinking about it! Like managing to get one over the instructor and sneaking out an additional Pokéblock after practice!

She took her cane from the-

***Clack***

Correction, she _picked up_ her cane from the floor, and walked into the room her daughter had taken over.

Now, to avoid tripping over the results of Lu's last-minute packing, compounded by her own rolling around in the memories of her daughter, playing games. If she recalled correctly, after using it yesterday, she had left the Wii over...

***TapTapTap***

No, that was the lunchbox that held her things for poker night. _That_ was where she had left it! It was very awkward to explain she had misplaced them! Maybe she should have waited until the actual Sunday to play, but then again playing through time and space with other seers was bound to be complicated no matter what preparations were made.

Navigating through the results of her previous trip down memory lane, thankfully without triggering another round of vision-memories of her cute little button of a pup with her first, bacon-flavored chewing bone, she sat in front of the computer.

An unfamiliar series of movements flowed from her, confusing her for a moment, before remembering that those were to receive an item _from_ an e-mail.

She was tempted to use the Sight again, but she had promised to take it easy after the eye-aches from the gaming session, and forcing herself to look at someone in an entirely different region was NOT taking it easy.

Taking the first attachment into her paws, she dicovered it was a rubber ball, but covered in little spikes, with a small hole on-

_Squeee~... Squeee~..._

* * *

_"__**Perspective**__. A different perspective allows an old topic, thought threaded and re-threated so much as to appear worn, to become new and exciting again."_

She didn't know how the professor had done it, but whoever had done the narration of his book sounded incredibly similar to Morgan Freeman.

_"A common question that humans have pondered through their lives is: If you were a Pokémon, which one would you be, and why? The answer is a list on occasion, and is not uncommon for the answer to change as the human in question experiences new situations, meets new people."_

She bit into her berry absent-mindedly, eager to get to Viridian, yet understanding that she needed to understand more about the journey through the eyes of a human. As such, she was sitting on the branch of a tree, in the middle of Kanto's Route 1, listening to the first of the audiobooks, looking for interesting auras from time to time.

_"It is simply natural to think in terms of what options are or are not available, and it is no surprise to see that options that are open from the start tend to be taken for granted. It is a new __**perspective**__ that often allows Pokémon trainers to innovate on the use of a move that the Pokémon may believe to have already been practiced to their fullest extent."_

The more she focused on the smooth, chocolate-like voice the less she would think about the good-bye hug and doggy kiss she gave the profe-

_Dag-nabbit!_

She pressed pause on the Pokédex, took out the earbud, and jumped down from the tree.

Might as well use both Pokéballs, stock in Viridian, and meet up with the Pikachu, see if the male still wanted to look at fashions from other places.

* * *

Life as a Caterpie was very simple.

Eat plants, let the Weedle be in the tree across from hers, maybe hold off on evolving to get berries more easily, and mostly keep away from other, bigger Pokémon.

"Huh, powdered chilli, sugar, and... something that brings the flavor together." A voice, a _Pokémon_ voice said.

Some small blue-and-black bipedal canine Pokémon was looking straight at her.

Then she (she smelled like a she, in any case) turned to the Weedle tree and... closed her eyes? The things dangling from her head stood out straight to either side.

"Cherry candy... hey!" The mystery Pokémon jumped animatedly. "I bet you go well together!"

She wiggled closer to the end of the branch she had been resting on, noting that a Weedle had done the same on the other tree. Turning to one another, she realized neither of them had any idea what the girl on the ground was going on about.

"I'm on a journey right now, and I want to ask you two if you want to come with me!" She said, holding-

Wait, were those Pokéballs? The ones humans used? Where did they even come from?

"I'm asking you because you have very nice auras, and I want to get to know you better!"

Life as a Caterpie was very simple, also, very boring.

This... this bundle of energy, docile yet hardy, something she knew because she was most likely literally radiating it, was very interesting.

A Pokémon trainer that is, herself, a Pokémon?

Looking at her fellow bug, while the dog-girl muttered something about scanning, made her note that... he (?) was considering it.

He lowered himself to the ground with his silk, and, what the hell, so did she.

Weedle made a gesture with his head, jabbing up into the air with his spike. _Interesting_.

"Battle? If you want, sure." The trainer scratched her head, but clearly getting worked up by the idea. "You want a go, too?"

Regardless of the obvious differences, of... of everything so far, she _did_. Sweet Arceus, she _did_. The trainer could tell, somehow - psychic? It didn't matter.

She fired her string, at the same time Weedle had, but a brief flash of light through the eyes of their target was all the warning they had before she was suddenly not-there.

She threw herself to the side, reducing the Quick Attack to a glancing blow that nonetheless made her tumble tail over teakettle, but Weedle's diving tackle stinger-first forced the trainer to dodge to the opposite side.

Her target, airborne for just a moment as she had jumped over what could only be Weedle's silk shot while she was getting thrown about, was unable to maneuver out of the way of her own silk, tagging her on an arm.

It was when the trainer deliberately received Weedle's string on her other arm, all the while flexing before _heaving_ her into the air through her own string, that she figured that the trainer was just getting into a better position to swing her into Weedle.

It _hurt_.

Being swept through the air had been fun, though.


	4. Starter GET!

**Name:** _

**Species:** Pokémon

**Race:** Caterpie

**Category:** Worm

**Class:** Forest Insect

**Gender:** Female

**Job:** Trapper

**Title:** Daring Challenger (New!), Starter Pokémon (NEW!)

**Level:** 9

**To next:** 23.07%

**Height:** 0.3 m

**Weight:** 3 Kg

**Body style:** Insectile

**Nature:** Bold

**Aura:** Spicy candy

**Attribute:** Forest, Insect

**Type:** Bug

**Ability:** Shield Dust

**STR:** 5

**AGI:** 10

**VIT:** 10

**INT:** 15

**WIS:** 15

**LUK:** 10

**Status:** Disposition [Dauntless (increased DEF, decreased ATK)], Fainted

**Background:** A gentle if fearless caterpillar born of trainer-raised parents, she has had a fairly easy life so far. Thinking, _wishing_ there is more to life, she accepted the offer of The Gamer, Theresa, to accompany her in her travels, if she bested her in combat.

**Emotions:** Elation. Satisfaction. Curiosity. Ouchies.

* * *

**Name:** _

**Species:** Pokémon

**Race:** Weedle

**Category:** Hairy Worm

**Class:** Forest Insect

**Gender:** Male

**Job:** Trapper

**Title:** Yearning Challenger (New!), Starter Pokémon (NEW!)

**Level:** 9

**To next:** 06.07%

**Height:** 0.3 m

**Weight:** 3.1 Kg

**Body style:** Insectile

**Nature:** Lonely, Quiet

**Aura:** Cherry lollipop

**Attribute:** Forest, Insect, Poison

**Type:** Bug, Poison

**Ability:** Shield Dust

**STR:** 11

**AGI:** 9

**VIT:** 9

**INT:** 10

**WIS:** 10

**LUK:** 15

**Status:** Disposition [Introverted (increased ATK and SpAt, decreased DEF and MOV)], Fainted

**Background:** A reserved larva born of swarm leaders, he has had a solitary life so far. Feeling intrigued by The Gamer, Alexandra's, ability to project her feelings and sense his, he accepted the offer to accompany her in her travels, if she bested him in combat.

**Emotions:** Hope. Curiosity. Gratefulness. Wondering if you had to hit that hard.


	5. Turn 4 - Resting, Testing, Bonding

_Potion_

_Medicinal spray capable of healing small wounds when applied directly on the affected area, or simply enhance healing of minor aches and scratches when applied on the Pokémon._

_Tends to sting from the Hot-&-Cold effect against inflammation and pain._

_Not recommended for extended human use._

_Effect: Recovers 20 HP, cures status [Swelling]._

* * *

"That's the story." Theresa sighed, giving her Caterpie a last pass with baby wipes, hugging her close. Resting out of the road, out of sight, as the sky began to turn colors, to announce the end of the day.

Neither bug said anything, unsure as to how to react to the reason for their trainer's journey beyond the vague, ghostly feeling of being overly-aware of their own necks.

Usually, someone isn't supposed to be able to experience something like that more than the one time. The connection between their heads and their first segment tingled again, unpleasantly.

"I just... had to know." She continued. "Whenever that happens she always wakes up worn down, and she couldn't have known I was still around."

She produced a pair of cupcakes, perfectly preserved thanks to the storage, to the pair.

"I know they may not be to your taste, but... they are good." She said. "They'll help you heal up and recover."

Caterpie did enjoy it, and Weedle at least didn't think it was bad, simply not his preference.

"You know, I was told that one of the Ho-oh appeared here in front of a trainer, once." Maybe not exactly where they were, but she listened to the sounds of running water nearby, remembering the story from that human - the mother of the trainer that so often placated the nightmarish visions of futures that would not come to pass.

"I'm not going to demand you train; I know you want to know, to explore and grow strong, but let's do something gentle first, since I hit you so hard, if that's alright with you."

She placed both of her starters so that she could hug both at the same time, and they would both be in contact with each other.

She reactivated the [Lucario Internal Aura Flow] skill, shut down back into a passive after the fight was over, and began working into the various other skills that would, after their progression, unlock more of the moves available to her line.

An inexperienced Internal Flow nonetheless sharpened focus, enhanced senses, prepared the body of a Riolu to handle greater amounts of Aura, prepared for the acquisition of the Steel-type of Lucario.

Soon, she would catch up to that other Riolu, the one that met the trainer from Pallet in person and befriended and was even saved by him. Soon, she would crack Aura Sphere and Bone Rush as well, and get closer to that level of strength, then beyond.

That was still a ways to go, however, and she had a different reason to channel Aura today.

A warm, gentle flow of Aura was absorbed, directed into Caterpie, through her, into Weedle, through _him_, and finally back into herself. Then in reverse. Then simply as a chain with each bug on one end and her as the conduit in the middle. Then she did it all over again.

It wasn't Heal Pulse, not yet.

Focusing the power of her mind, concentrating in the feeling caused by using her yet-undeveloped psychic power, feeling it trickle towards and through her new friends, her starter Pokémon. Asking, feeling the patterns, trying to make sense of them.

It was not telepathy yet, neither was it Role Play.

Yet.

She asked, searched, felt. Feeling how the energy of all Pokémon was lensed and prismatically altered by their bodies, their own auras and minds.

Into the very essence of [Bug]. Into the [Poison] of Weedle.

She had _seen it_ before, perceived its _scent_ and _feel_ and even _taste_ through the tiny quirk in her that had laced all of those senses together when sensing auras.

This close, with this... this new bond, this exploration, it was much more intense and detailed. It was taking it into her paws, instead of simply having it brush against her. To open the pot and take in all of that intense aroma instead of what wafted out of the kitchen.

They were radiant and beautiful and they were her friends.

She tried to resist tearing up, she really did, but they were simply amazing, and what she was doing let them feel what she did so much more clearly and so she felt what _they_ felt in an infinite cycle.

[Bug] had a certain... restlessness, yet there was also immense patience, a feeling of change and adaptation - and an odd sensation of hunger. [Poison] was bubbling, reactive, waiting for something to happen, something to touch - not to corrode, although that would be a common outcome, but simply to _do_ something.

She searched carefully.

She touched a pattern, common to both of them; a curious sensation not unlike rubbing glitter between her paws. It was very similar to that time, too, as one of the other Riolu had sneezed and they all had gotten the glitter stuck to their coats for quite a while.

That was Shield Dust. She had finaly found an ability through her senses.

Combining Mind Reader, Confide, Copycat, Hold Hands, Play Nice, Detect, Laser Focus, Foresight, and as many relevant non-move skills as she could had finally, _finally_ let her reach for and discern the different parts of a body that wasn't hers. Granted, it helped to have two different, yet similar, Pokémon that shared the specific characteristic she was looking for. She had spent energy like water going from one move to another, but she had found it; the costs to her various energy meters well-worth discovering the sequence.

She had gotten inspiration from Skill Swap, Helping Hand, and Heart Swap. Her kitbashed hodgepodge of a skill required her to have used Calm Mind and Meditate just to keep enough of the delicate balance to sense what Role Play interacted with, having more in common with Psych Up and Psycho Shift than the actual move. The Gamer would not catalyze a move or skill if she wouldn't be able to succeed by herself consistently, as the explosion from her first and so far only attempt at Aura Sphere could attest.

But she could hardly find it in herself to care right now, being one with her Pokémon like this.

She felt them. Their touch, both the corporeal and mental and spiritual. She allowed them their exploration of her, their nuzzling and their questioning.

They questioned, and she answered. They asked to feel more of what she could do with her aura, her mind, feel if she could touch upon other magical sensations.

They asked, and she gave. It made her face heat up, a blush blooming onto her, sharing like that. Giving a little of herself.

She had an idea of what she was doing, but it would not become moves until she could use it as intended.

__Through a special action, you have obtained a new skill!__

* * *

_**[Aura Diagnosis] (Active) (New!) Lv. 1 (EXP: 5.00%):**_

_An old form of detection of the general health, typing, and ability of Pokémon; used by Aura-using humans in conjunction with human psychics before the development of artifacts that could perform the same function, culminating in the current-day scanners._

_Performed by The Gamer, Avyanna, entirely by herself. While doing so would not be impossible for a human, it would require them to possess both skills at a higher level than when separate, greatly increasing the costs and difficulty of the technique. Various moves work on principles employed by this skill, albeit at a much faster and instinctual level due to how Pokémon can quickly employ such patterns._

_This version lacks most of the steps that would isolate the user from the targets, allowing them to feel the same in the user - although that being by design, it can be considered a form of intimacy only extended to the closest of confidants._

_**Current level:**__ Allows the detection of the abilities of an on-contact target, as well as their emotional, spiritual, and physical state. Allows the target to sense the user as well. Allows Friendship and Affection to be increased depending on actions taken.__**Requires focus. Must be used at rest. Target(s) must be cooperative or unable to struggle.**_

* * *

This, however, meant that she was on the right track.

She would worry about that later. Caterpillars were delightfully squishy.


	6. Cutscene 1 - After leaving the lab

Professor Oak threw the tissues in the trashcan and patted his face, searching for more traces of puppy slobber.

_Did_ she still count as a puppy?

Just as he thought he had gotten it all, the phone rang.

"Professor Rowan! Good to see you!" Oak said upon seeing the familiar mustache on his videophone. "How have you been?"

"I've been well." He replied, then turned to look at something besides the camera - likely another monitor or some documents. "I see you have been busy; I had a notification about a new trainer?"

Oak hummed in appreciation of social media and databases; they made everything happen so quickly.

"That's right." He nodded. "A most peculiar little girl. Quirky, yet hardy and determined to see it through."

"Good, good." Rowan was dancing around the issue... well, time to see how long would it take him to say anything about it! "I couldn't help but notice a few details about the document."

"Like what?" Oak was proud of how genuine his curiosity sounded. "I went over all the documentation with a fine-tooth comb."

Mostly because of how oddly simple and straightforward it was to have a non-human trainer, so he had to make sure he was not actually overlooking anything.

In the end, he was simply overthinking it.

"Well, the first thing that got my attention was the address." Rowan said, still not pointing out the Wailord in the pool.

"I assure you that that is correct; she even pointed it out in my maps." Oak said in a pleasant, helpful tone. Dang, did he manage to sound _clueless_ about Rowan's confused state!

"Well, that explains how she got her mother to lend her a Riolu." Rowan muttered in acceptance. "Not exactly a common Pokémon, or one so willing to go with just anybody; being on loan from a family member is very understandable."

"Yes, the definition is clear - a Pokémon raised and trained by someone else, registered under a name not of the trainer." Oak supplied, making Rowan look at him curiously, but he only gave him the 'anything I can help you with?' smile.

"I see that she has been listed as having the required wilderness survival knowledge; would I be correct if I assume that you went over the points covered by your program, seeing as you haven't opened the courses yet?" Rowan asked, while studying Oak's expression - he likely suspected there was a joke he wasn't being let on.

"Of course." Oak nodded with certainty. "She is more than qualified to traverse the various routes, and her knowledge and ability to do so goes beyond what my camp courses cover, so I marked her as having passed an 'equivalent or better' course."

"Good, good." Rowan still looked like he was embarrassed to ask what was on his mind. "I'm assuming there is a reason someone would rather cross the country instead of less than a tenth if the distance? I'm genuinely curious, since it sounds like she crossed the distance with only the lone Riolu."

"She had various personal reasons, not the least of which was that she is very interested in the fields I study." He stroked his chin in thought... she _did_ say she trusted his judgement... " She presented a very interesting case herself, although this is such a large, detail-filled _thing_, that I think we should come back to it later, after any other questions you have about the application."

"Now I'm quite interested." Rowan said with a smile and that _gleam_ in his eyes, the very same he saw in the mirror each time something new and exciting to learn and discover came before him. "Now, about the academic history..."

Oh, right. It was going to be very empty.

"She was home-schooled, but I can assure you she has skills in math and excellent reading comprehension skills." And how would they not be, with their levels decently high. "She also has good budget planning, and understands spending better at this point than most I have had walk out my doors."

She did confess she tried the 'anything that teaches a skill is a TM' ability on a few of the "For Slowpokes" books, which included one for managing budgets. The requirements for some of the books and scrolls with actual Moves were still a bit beyond her, which had slightly irritated her.

Rowan seemed relieved by that. Oak understood the worry, though; he certainly would have called however was responsible if he had found such an odd application - mostly because they _really_would be responsible if something happened to the trainer and they did nothing to prevent it.

"In any case, when I searched her name on social media, all I found was a couple of recently-updated videogame profiles - although it seems that there are a few more updating right now."

That must have been the work of her mother, or so he'd guess at any rate.

"The names vary but the one that repeated the most is... 'Cutemander Baddass and' and a blank space, and they have profile pictures of both a Lucario and a Riolu with a military cap." Rowan placed one such picture on the screen, and Oak couldn't suppress his snort of laughter fast enough.

There they were, a Lucario decked out in medals saluting with an officer's cap on her head, and a Riolu with a lesser rank's one and much fewer medals, also saluting.

Well, it looked like the end of the ride was near - Rowan would likely ask why the trainer card only had the Riolu on the profile picture next.

"It can get hard to tell under the disguises, but I am confident enough to say they are the same Lucario and Riolu in all pictures." Rowan commented, and Oak had little doubt that the professor had recognized signs that still escaped him, not just relying on basic logic for the assumption. "And the same on her profile picture."

He _still_ wasn't saying it? Maybe he needed a little push.

"I can say it does _not_ surprise me." Oak nodded sagely. "She has known her all of her life."

Mentally, he patted himself for such a statement. Entirely _factual_, totally misleading, _utterly_ useless, and completely beside the point.

Rowan let out a small grunt.

"_Why_ is there a Riolu in her trainer card picture?" _Finally_.

"Because she hasn't evolved into Lucario?" Alright, maybe he could stretch it out a little.

Rowan's arm twitched - it appeared he had resisted placing a hand on his face, if just barely.

"Why is there a Riolu _instead_ of her own picture?" Rowan was starting to frown a bit, which actually looked a bit more intense on his type of face.

"What do you mean 'instead'? If a Riolu wants to become a trainer, obviously her ID would have the picture of a Riolu." Oak spoke nonchalantly but kept an eye on the screen; he wanted to see the exact moment the idea reached his brain.

One blink...

Second blink...

_There_.

"Beg your pardon?" Rowan scratched the side of his temple as he focused on something below the view of the camera - looking at the trainer ID card again, no doubt. "So- wait, a Pokémon wants to be a Pokémon trainer? That's a new one- wait, does this mean she's on loan to _herself_? How does that work?"

"Surprisingly smoothly." Oak replied, a big smile on his face. "Did you know the process to register a Pokémon as a Trainer is so much simpler than a human? Other than having to work out how and why she counts as being on loan to herself from another Pokémon, and whether or not it was both her parents or just one of them, most of the fields could simply be marked 'not applicable' and be done with, just like that."

"I can imagine, particularly since they are adept at traversing rough terrain, if the Lucario I have looked over are any indication." Rowan's eyes made it clear he was going over everything inside his head. "I find it fascinating how they can make themselves be understood after enough training, even those that aren't versed in telepathy."

Oak's mind wandered, as brains are wont to do, back to the 'Cutemander' picture.

"Now I'm wondering." Oak mused out loud, thinking back to when Theresa was talking to him. "How does the mother manage to trash-talk in online matches if microphones do not work?"

"Why _wouldn't_ they work?" Rowan was caught sufficiently off-guard to focus on the _least_ weird part of the sentence.

"Aura and telepathy do not work over the phone." He replied, nailing the exact same tone that had been used on him. "Unless you are, and I quote, 'stupid powerful'."

"So, they are into videogames?" It was a nice try, but Professor Oak was not about to fall for the same trick he had pulled on a kid.

"Hence why I asked how the mother can indulge in retorting when both of them are unable to actually, physically speak." Oak gave Rowan a _look_, making the other professor understand he got busted. "Although, thinking about it, it's possible that they take turns with the keyboard."

"I would say something about influences on a child, but Pokémon social structures differ wildly from human ones." Rowan commented with only a slight blush remaining.

"That is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg." Oak began to pull the schematics for the (current) Pokédex. "Let me start the story from the moment she approached me at my doorstep..."


	7. Turn 5 - Gaming The System

_**Mission complete!**_

_**[Catch a Starter!] (Easy) (Continuous)**_

_Professor Oak doesn't have any Pokémon to give out, and you can't really start a journey all alone like that..._

_Go catch a Pokémon!_

_**Conditions:**__ Use Pokéballs to catch a Pokémon to become your official starter(s). (Complete!)_

_**Special:**__ Continuous Quest (Quest does not end nor expire unless failure conditions are met, a higher-priority quest prevents completion, or final win conditions are fulfilled)_

_**Rewards:**__ 500 Pokén. +100 EXP. Starter(s) officially registered as such on database. Bonus Friendship and Affection when interacting with starter(s)._

* * *

_**Achievement Complete!**_

_**Bodily Harm 1**_

_Damage an opponent with another in a multiple battle. (1/__**1**__) (Complete!)_

_"___I'm using what I have.___"_

_**Reward:**__ Pecha Berry (x1). +25 EXP._

* * *

It was a slightly-worn Riolu that had finally decided to resume the journey towards Viridian, still somewhat warm and flushed from the nearly-overextended session. She was just then starting to stand up.

On the plus side, what she did, what they had done, was enlightening; a bonding experience that still had her quivering and tearing up a little.

And aching.

She had spent way too much energy in that.

Gamer's Body and Physical Resistance may take care of blows, but exhaustion still took its toll. The drain was harder than expected, although that was mostly everything at the end.

At least she could leave her bag inside her inventory when nobody was near. Human ability to travel at night was... low, compared to Pokémon - to her, even after everything she had just done. She closed her eyes and felt the aura of everything around her.

She felt the world sleep, with diurnal beings resting in their dens and nests. She felt the world come alive, with the nocturnal scurrying about the further reaches of her senses. She had been in the wild often, and had seen much through her travel to Kanto... the feel of the land changing and, right now, telling her that she hadn't attracted anyone's attention.

She, herself, was alone for the moment.

Or not, judging by the large aura following her trail. It was... clean, refreshing, like spring water after a hot summer day, soothing, but all too ready to rage and crash like the rapids at any moment.

It reminded her of a letter her mom had gotten once, soaked in aura to the point she could still feel a dip into the river for days after it was delivered.

__Suicune. Lv ?  
Rider of the North Wind. Knight of the Aurora. Heavenly Messenger.__

That explained some things. Sheer saturation.

She figured she could say something, but really, that cool cerulean flash of rain and wind felt slightly _too_ good on her sore body.

* * *

Hours ago, he had been making sure that nothing was amiss in the town of Pallet.

All through the previous week, _something_ had gotten all flavors of unsavory types riled up all the way from from Sinnoh to Kanto, to the point that a group or two of smugglers and poachers had gotten themselves caught for their troubles.

He had decided to give Pallet a quick, discreet visit, since it was the home of those boys that had helped Celebi- er... the boy and the man's past self that... Celebi was involved, period.

There were also a few other stops of varying degrees of relevance, but none with the same number of incidents in a single year as those caused by the people from Pallet - not that he would complain about lending a helping paw.

Half an hour ago, he had found a lead.

The scent of a Riolu, but no human trainer or ranger.

Some of the more unpleasant kinds of human wanted Riolu or Lucario for their "collections", mostly because they are exactly the kind of people that get denied having one entrusted into their care, making them desire one even more. A vicious cycle, really.

Moments ago, he found that maybe he had misread the situation.

Someone on the run from poachers and hunters did not leave that kind of trace.

The little girl waved at him with her eyes closed.

"Hello." She said after a few seconds of delay. "Does this count as cheating?"

It was evident she wasn't expecting herself to ask that, either, since she buried her face behind her paws and blushed quite brightly.

"Hello as well. What did you mean, cheating? And, I hope you are not being followed by poachers or mercenaries." She didn't _seem_ like she was, but confirmation never hurt.

"I am fine; trying to avoid the main thoroughfares and routes helped a little." She replied, speaking slightly more formally due to autopilot.

* * *

__You have earned the title of The Far-Sighted Looker!__

**__The Far-Sighted Looker:__**__ A title received by those that use caution and assess the situation from a safe distance. Provides 5% increase to range of detection and surveillance skills.__

Right. Just in time, too, since there was a human and a lot of Pokémon in a clearing more or less dead ahead, and she was sure that Pokémon weren't supposed to be lumped that close together.

Well, time to drop off an anonymous tip at the police station! She was really glad she knew how to read and write!

* * *

"A little." She repeated. "And the cheating is because only a hundred humans or so in the entire country have any meaningful contact with a legend a year, and most of those are repeats from previous years."

"I still do not follow." His mind turned to those times he _had_ been close to a human, particularly the times he had considered travelling with one.

"I am still a trainer; is it cheating or does it not count because I am not a human?"

"Train- have you always _been_ a Pokémon?" It was, he felt, a perfectly justified question; one hundred years and change of life going from one region to another meant quite a number of _interesting_ experiences.

"My mom keeps a piece of my egg in a display case on a shelf, next to a box with your letters, which I'm guessing the rest are from other people and Pokémon she's helped." Letter? He personally went everywhere he was told to deliver a message by his Lady Ho-oh, so he only ever sent letters to- oh!

"If I am right, then please give my thanks to your mother; I, and my siblings, appreciate all seers willing to help." He smiled as he spoke, thinking of all the times problems had been intercepted. "No offense to Xatu and Natu - well, the difference between _seeing_-"

"- and understanding and _knowing_!" She interrupted excitedly. "I think I get it, a little."

"Precisely. Xatu in general think too much in terms of paths and forget to think of reasons often, so all who are willing to help make sense of what they give us, have our thanks." Putting everything together would be such a _pain_ otherwise. It was hard to know when being somewhere would be worse than NOT being there when your only sources of information were often too full of anxiety to _move_.

"I did always wonder who was getting all the letters she sent out." She raised a paw. "In hindsight, if _all_ of them had been to humans, they would have gone with the regular mail and not Taillow flocks."

"I suggest that, if you have a destination on mind, we head towards it." He interrupted. "This area may be peaceful, and we may be away from the main path, but you are still quite exposed."

"I was going to Viridian-" He - lightly - tossed her into the air and onto his back, making her estrangle a yelp and freeze for a couple of seconds.

"Not being human is totally cheating." She mumbled, overwhelmed - d'oh, she's an aura-sensitive Pokémon! No matter, she could recover as they moved.

"It can also be an immense risk." He said as he dashed forward - well, to him it felt more like a pleasant jog, but then again he could run on water from sheer speed.

"As your mother is a seer, I do not need to ask what motivates your journey." He felt how she shook her head to recover. "What I ask is thus, why not take a human trainer? Or become a ranger?"

"When I see the trainers and caretakers back home, I can see myself with a team." She began, shifting herself to hold on better than her initial, reflexive grasp; he could hear, and even _feel_ her awe, her wonder, at the prospect. "I see myself surrounded by friends, but when I try to picture a human patting my head, or standing next to me... I can't."

An exceptional example of the nobility and sense of justice inherent to her species, as well as her own friendliness and kindness. He found it comforting each time he met those that valued such ideals.

"I admire them. My mom has told me a lot about them, of how trainers, rangers, and even photographers and cooks have done _amazing_ things, with or without Pokémon." He felt her grip tighten, and the feelings coming from her shift into determination. "Humans are just as exposed, just in other ways, so I can't find it in myself to ask someone to risk all of that. Mom has seen them die, sometimes even when it goes the best it could possibly have. Some can _come back_, but not all of them."

So, as much for their sake as for her personal reasons. Certainly, he could see in her that which he also saw in them; kindness, virtue, and bravery such that she would not stand aside if she could help it.

"And a trainer to protect yourself and your team from poachers." He had a guess.

"That is more a side benefit than a goal." She gasped and tensed. "Just have someone follow me! Anyone tries something, they get busted!"

Bravery to the point of insanity. Not uncommon a trait in those that face Destiny - almost required, in all honesty.

Still, using oneself as living bait... didn't surprise him. Huh, it wasn't that bad of an idea, no matter how insane he wanted to say it was. He felt like it _should_ be a bad idea, wanted to object or point out all manner of possible terrible outcomes.

He couldn't find a single thing. Travelling with a human was mostly a protection from other trainers, and poachers were (mostly) afraid of harming another human too badly; at most, she was exposing herself to a few more, but other than that it wasn't that different from what she was already doing save for not being inside a Pokéball to avoid unwanted attention.

Which would come regardless of whenever of not a human trainer kept her inside after a bit of travelling made her known.

Damn.

"I shall see if we can get a few more eyes on the lookout for that."

Viridian city approached quickly, maybe he could get her to act like a carefree child for a bit.

He set up a Tailwind and _pushed_.


	8. Turn 6 - Shopping Trip

_**Status:**__ Disposition [Graceful serenity (increased SPEC, decreased PHYS)], Willpower (Flinch immune, Mind resist +), Breath of Water (DMG ++, END +, MOV ++, AGI +++), Tailwind (MOV x2)_

_**Background:**__ Brought to life by the powers of the Ho-oh of the Jotho tower, Suicune and his siblings have kept the peace and delivered messages all across the land on behalf of their lady for over a century. Currently dating the Shiny Raikou that serves the Lord of the Sevii islands, because he likes her bombastic attitude and she finds him soothing to be around of._

* * *

Rivers made flesh, a silk-smooth coat of aurora covering the swirling currents within as the ones without pushed them to cross the whole forest in but mere moments.

It- it- to say it was _amazing_ would not do the experience justice.

Exhilarating, wondrous, impressive, and just a little bit humbling. Those fit very well. Oh, and touching, in a sense.

The Breath of Water, capitalization very much deserved, was more or less a subset of the Aura Flow technique. Subset in the sense that the Flow technique could turn into the Water one if one was better suited for the later rather than the first, or if one had a greater needs of the boosts of one over the other. It didn't involve actual elemental energies, not _directly_ in any case, simply the characteristics of the flow itself, from _way_ back when Aura was called Chi and its use was less refined or understood.

There were others; they were the basis for most moves that Lucario learned, and could easily turn into entire styles of fighting for the individual. The elusive Mist for Double Team, Lightning for Extreme Speed... she wasn't sure if the name was ironic or symbolic (or both) but Love was Close Combat and other such moves, like Superpower, that a few Lucario particularly attuned to that breath could use.

And she had just spend the last... however long it had been in direct contact with someone so attuned to one he could likely sustain it quite literally in his sleep.

That was the realm of the high-leveled Lucario, the ones she couldn't see the numbers for yet. Suicune just had so much... so much...

_Everything_.

Power, astounding power and grace in equal measure. Each hard, corded muscle under his coat moving smoothly like water around a stone; each ground-eating stride was fluid, free of the shocks that would have been felt in, say, a Ponyta.

It was an experience so mystifying, it took her until that moment to notice that she had been trying to push a pull door for the last fifteen minutes.

* * *

Being the night shift for a Pokémart that was open 24/7 meant seeing all sorts of strange things, because nighttime was when the... non-standard things happened the most.

Run-of-the-mill trainers simply clocked out for the night somewhere, then shopped during daytime. People that didn't mind being out for a midnight stroll (or in the middle of an emergency, no matter how mundane) were far more interesting on average.

Case in point, a tiny Pokémon had had a paw against the glass door for a while with a bit of a far-off look on its face, before it shook its head rapidly and did some glowy blue thing with the paw against the glass and finally pulled. Small, bipedal, and dog-like, it looked adorable with that black raccoon-mask spot; he couldn't tell if the yellow collar was part of its body or an actual collar.

Whatever it was, it had a worn yellow bag hanging from a shoulder - it looked oversized for the tiny frame of the Pokémon, since it looked like it would fit inside the bag with room to spare, and the strap had to be tied to prevent the bag from dragging through the floor.

"Hello there, little fella." He said, leaning over the counter to see better. "I haven't seen anything like you before, what kind of Pokémon are you?"

In response (not that he actually expected one), the little one took out a Pokédex out of the bag - he'd seen many of the different models through the years, although why a Pokémon had one was beyond him.

**"[Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon.]"** The synthetic voice said, displaying a picture of one in a dynamic, mid-punch pose. **"[Riolu are able to see and understand emotions in waves of Aura, and when they are sad or scared, their own Aura intensifies to signal allies.]"**

"Alright." He (internally) nodded to himself at his correct assessment of the night shift, even if it exposed him to the nutjobs at times. "It's a little hard doing business like this, so hop on on the counter."

Despite the lithe build and the big load, it had no problem at all jumping up in a single, smooth motion. Fighting type? One of the nimbler Normal types?

"Doing some late shopping for your trainer?" Really, it was an obvious conclusion, and had good odds of being right.

"_I __**am**__ my trainer._" She _said_, and he would be proud to say he did **not** shout or even yelp in surprise, although he would not mention that it was because he was choking on his own saliva before he could vocalize his surprise.

Half a minute of coughing cleared his airway enough to speak again, waving away the concern of the little doggie.

"_Actually, technically I'm on loan to me?_" She (well, she sounded a little like a girl) said, scratching her head.

"How does that even work?" He asked through a sore throat. Ugh, maybe it was possible for things to get _too_ interesting.

"_My parents trained me and the Pokéball wasn't registered to me; I should do something about that soon._" She replied while searching for something in her bag, fishing out a pair of vaccuum-sealed bags full of spray bottles. "_I want to sell these._"

"Repel and even a pair of Super Repel? Most trainers stock up on those." He turned the bags around, feeling how full the cans were - unsurprisingly, they were new. "They are really useful! They keep wild Pokémon away with their smell!"

She said nothing, just staring blankly at him for a few seconds.

"Oh."

"Right, sorry." He lowered his gaze in embarrassment.

"_I'm also going to need... fifteen Pokéballs._" She provoked a small crash of his mental state, from the incredibly surreal notion of a Pokémon using Pokéballs herself.

He'd have to tally up the worth of the repellant again.

"There's a promotion of one Premier Ball for every ten Pokéballs." He recited from memory, then added. "Technically, one per proof of purchase of more than ten, so most simply make separate purchases of ten Pokéballs at a time."

"_What does it do?_"

"It's only a free Pokéball, but it's very, very shiny."

"_Then give me two groups of ten._" Her tail began waving back and forth; the idea of free, shiny things always had appeal.

Trainer ID confirmed and Pokéballs paired to the Pokédex (What a long name she's got), routine procedure done thousands of times made novel by their recipient.

"Oh, and I don't know if you've been told this before, but don't forget to check the League's Official website often; they have these Mystery Gifts they send out, and all starting trainers are elegible for at least one when they register." He added, handing her the receipts and the balls. "You can also send them or receive them by... well, they are mystery gifts for a reason - I swear some people get them for walking by each other."

"_I will, thank you!_" She just looked so cute staring at the mirror finish, turning her head to look at her distorted reflection. "_I know just who's getting this one._"

"Anything else I can get you? Potion, cans of repe- rations?" Smooth Sam, smooth. "We've got smoked jerky, too."

She tried to appear calm, he knew she did, but her tail gave her away.

* * *

__Log-In successful! Welcome to the Official Pokémon League's website!__

_**Mystery Gift (x1) obtained!**__ Pokéwalker (x1), Battery (x2)._


	9. Turn 7 - A Joy To Visit

_Pokéwalker (Stand-by) (PKMN: N/A) __**(Battery: 100.00%) [Key Item (Training)]**_

_A training tool for the trainers who travel long distances... or those who need incentive to do so._

_It employs the same Virtual Environment technology used by the Pokémon Digital Storage Services developed by the Kanto region's own Pokémaniac Bill. It can store a Pokémon inside it and simulate a variety of places to take the Pokémon out for a stroll, allowing a controlled, safe way to provide general exercise and training before reaching the locations the simulations are based off of._

_Or provide an opportunity to visit said locations for those who are unable to reach them._

_Each location has Types of Pokémon that are advantageous to take for a walk_

_An updated version of Bill's cipher for transfers/storage can even collect and repair junk data scattered from the leftover temporary information in servers and routers, giving it the ability to simulate items for use during the stroll. This requires a certain number of steps to be taken as uncommon items require more data and energy to obtain, this is also the means of collecting a resource called "Watts" by the system._

_Watts are obtained at a rate of one (1) per every twenty (20) steps the user takes in the physical world (you can also just shake the Pokéwalker), and are primarily used by the Information Tracking and Encoding of Mended/Reconstructed Accumulated Data Algorithms and Routines (that would be the __**Dowsing MCHN**__ in the menu) to condense the data into an item. They are also usable to unlock more Routes in the walker, digital gifts for Pokémon to use inside the walker, and actual gifts on Item Transfer stations._

_The act of gathering Watts also slightly empowers the Pokémon, in other words, causing a slight increase in EXP._

_There are also simulated Pokémon for practice battles (__**Poké Radar**__ in the menu), although, being derived from transfer/storage data left over in servers and battle data collected at random, they are unlikely to be of more use than training with wild Pokémon - this feature is mainly intended to practice general tactics and move combinations in a safe place before attempting them on live targets or possibly-sensitive environments. It is strongly recommended that anything practiced inside the Pokéwalker is given thorough testing in the real world before seeing actual use._

_Much like most digital devices with support for an Official League Identification record (e.g.: The Pokédex), it has communication systems that may award a Mystery Gift to trainers with one that contact another; the quality of the gift is higher if both trainers have both a digital device/RFID with their Trainer ID and the Pokéwalker than if either trainer is missing one of the objects. They may also exchange Team and Encounter data. Remember that having a digital ID/RFID is no excuse to leave your physical ID at home, so don't be a ditz._

_It is possible to go for a stroll without a Pokémon in the walker, the motion tracker in the device will guide the viewpoint in that case._

_**Device Status:**__ Stand-by._

_**Pokémon Status:**__ None Available._

_**Battery Charge:**__ 100.00%_

_**Current Watts: **___Calculating___..._

* * *

_**New Pokéwalker Route Unlocked! **___Amity Meadow___._

_**Advantageous Types:**__ Fighting. Ground. Fire._

_You can meet cute Pokémon that evolve through friendship and find items to evolve Pokémon!_

_**Unlock Condition (B) Met:**__ Obtain at least one (1) Special Skill/Move/Ability/Job/Class Baby Pokémon._

__\- __Gaming Riolu_ (The Gamer)._

* * *

Huh.

So, it would seem that her trip from Sinnoh to Kanto had another benefit.

_So many steps..._

The little Pokéball-lookalike device was about the size of her mother's paws, which made it fit neatly on a human's palm. It was flat, though, about the thick of a human's hand (provided it was a woman's) with a screen and a few buttons on the front.

She placed her new gift inside her inventory and withdrew one of the Premier Balls, placing it inside one of the pockets of her bag. She thought it was just fair.

The world of trainers had so many neat things! Even if they were aesthetic... Still, other than the hiccup with the repellant, she was glad to have met the clerk, even if the smell of money from an aura wasn't exactly her favorite.

That it glinted like new coins was more her speed.

She had yet to find a name for her friends, but with them having decided to sleep for the time being, it was something that could still wait.

It made her feel good, that they felt safe with her already. She had never had any problems finding food, what with the whole 'being sensitive to aura' thing her race had making them excellent at wilderness survival - and thanks to being able to taste and smell aura, was one of the few that hadn't eaten the decoy berries during her turn training.

She'd never had any problems with shelter, much less with her mother being one of the few Lucario that actually made money for and by herself.

Now, two other Pokémon had entrusted themselves to her care, in search of a better life.

She was on her way to get a third, too.

Rooftop hopping was not something she'd had much experience with, but ignoring the sounds of traffic and the obviously-planned layout of the city, it wasn't much different from practice on the mountains and cliffs.

Again, save for _every_ platform being sturdy enough to step on.

A weak, but still significant, amount of mental power coursed through her body, filling the muscles in her legs in such ways that they could react and contract much faster, relax and return to position in an instant; sharpened her awareness, making the next destination seem obvious; lightened and supported her body, making her movements so much easier and looser.

Agility was such a delight to _use_, layered like she had.

Coupled with the flow of Aura a Riolu could generate, her reinforcement carried her through the city.

Quick Attack backed with two Force Palms aimed backwards made her explode into the air, crossing the street from above without issue leaving behind a trail of silver.

Lithe feet carried her and made her _fly_ without any wings, the obstacle-free/rich environment and only-_slightly_-smelly night air of the city making her weightless in a moment of eternity even during her landings...

The lights coming from all around her, the crisp breeze.

It wasn't riding on Suicune's back, but it was all on her own power.

__Through repeated use of skills for strengthening your body, Psy [Rise] has reached level 6! Aura [Internal] has reached level 20!__

Leveling skills and having a blast doing it! The title of [Freerunner] helped boost her stats a little, too.

If Caterpie and Weedle weren't so proportionately large in comparison to her, she'd have them _both_ on her shoulders. After they woke, obviously. It'd be fun, even if they had to take turns.

Hmm, maybe use Copycat to copy String Shot and Spiderman her way across the city, too. (She'd _love_ to get her paws on Mimic).

For now, she had places to be!

Oh! She wondered if the Pokémon Center could receive Pokéballs if there wasn't a trainer to get them... maybe pop back home real quick to show off her new friends!

* * *

The graveyard shift of the Pokémon Center was just so stressful, no matter what anyone else said.

There is little to do but paperwork...

And pray there's nothing more.

Any emergencies at that hour? Well, they were not likely to reach the same level of insanity as the one a few years back, which ended in the need of rebuilding, but they could get pretty bad.

One would think they could get used to it, what with human brains not being that good with monotony, but then again, _rebuilding_.

Granted, she only got like that when a stray thought brought her back into the stress of anticipation of an emergency you are praying won't come; an interesting psychological dilemma.

_Rebuilding_.

Nurse Joy flipped through the previous week's issue of _Pokéakuma Ageha_ to distract herself from the thoughts of Koffing gas explosions, now turned to a much more pleasant topic, if a puzzling one.

Pikachu that sold electricity in exchange for reading lessons, then issues of _Vogue_ and _Coordinator Weekly_ and so many other things...

Still much cheaper per Watt/hour than normal, even if the other Pikachu that helped out the center were content with the medical help and food set-up.

Then again, the pair had turned down the food and asked for mail-order Pokédoll accessories!

Clothes, obviously, and they even used their own coupons.

She never thought there would be a day when a Pokémon could convince her of wearing blush, but there it was, a kit waiting for her back home for her days off in town.

Everything without being actually able to understand them, either.

A Riolu entered the building hauling a large, faded yellow bag, glowing with satisfaction, tail waging happily.

Chansey tapped her to get her attention, waving a small notepad as she chimed something along the lines of 'that's the one'.

On the notepad was a small drawing of a Riolu's head, whom the male Pikachu of the pair had been waiting for, apparently.

"_Hello!_" Said the little Pokémon, making her blink a little. That hadn't been telepathy, but still not quite purely physical.

"Hello, I'm Nurse Joy, and welcome to Viridian Pokémon Center; we will resume normal operations in the morning, but we have more than enough space for you to rest until morning." She replied with a smile, Chansey likely telling her she was expected - although said Pokémon was also asleep at the moment.

"_Thanks! Will I be able to get my Pokémon a check-up then?_" Alright, what?

Chansey asked her to clarify.

"_I'm a trainer, and just made my first capture today!_" she said with a beaming smile that light up the area, digging an arm into the bag and pulling out two Pokéballs stuck to her paw by a blue glow. "_They are now my official starters!_"

"Have you _always_ been a Pokémon?" Joy asked, feeling like she was justified.

"_There's ample evidence of it._" She replied with the same smile, then answered Chansey. "_A piece of my egg, and pictures. Many, _many _pictures._"

"The, uh, the rest area for trainers is over here - currently empty, you'll have it all for yourself." Joy gestured as she turned to escort the little Riolu.

"_Do you need my ID?_" She asked, holding the little card on a paw as her other arm clutched the Pokéballs to her chest.

"Umm, technically, yes, but you can just write your name in the log instead." Joy nonetheless took the card as Chansey passed it along to her. "Miss Theresa."

What a name.

Theresa shook giddily and bounced after her, humming a nameless tune, cherry-red eyes _sparkling_ and radiating love and happiness al the while.

Before she knew it, Theresa had signed, retrieved her card, pulled out a polar fleece blanket with a dogs and cats design from her bag, sent out a Weedle and Caterpie duo, and managed to coax them _and_ herself into a blanket-burrito inside the bag without fully waking either Bug-type.

Theresa did ask to get a picture of the scene sent to her Pokédex.

Once she was back at the desk, typing away, Joy figured that she'd want a picture of that, too.

Maybe even frame it and place it on her desk, or even as a poster.

Chansey asked if she had seen and heard the same thing as her, to which she could only nod.

Well, whatever she had been thinking about she definitely didn't remember now.

She did remember that the Pikachu had asked her to gift-wrap one of their orders for a medium-sized doll's clothes, which logic dictated must be for Theresa.

Huh, what a cheerful reason for wanting morning to come earlier - usually they were more due to anxiety.


	10. Turn 8 - Please Come Again!

_You slept on a bed! Or at least on top of one..._

_Party __**HP**__ restored! Party Status restored! Party __**MP/AP/PP/SP/FP/EP**__ restored!_

* * *

_Official Pokédoll __**(TM)**__ Full outfit __**(Size M) [Equipment]**_

_Clothing made by the same company that holds the rights for the Pokédoll name, Game Freak. Pokédoll was previously known as Pokémon PlushPlush._

_Already known for having entire doll lines with incredible adherence to correct proportions without producing Uncanny Valley, the doll clothes they produce can likewise fit an actual, live Pokémon, provided they are the right body type and size._

_Being aware that people will inevitably attempt to dress their Pokémon in their products, each Official Pokédoll ensemble is made to be comfortable and durable, as well as easily-washable; the clothes are more expensive than other toy brands as a result, but their high quality also makes them the first choice of customers whenever possible._

_They do not tend to have copyrights over the designs themselves, however, so trainers/coordinators low on funds may still purchase similar outfits from other brands at a lower cost. Designers and tailors that can modify clothes to fit a variety of Pokémon can earn good profits with their ideas by making contracts with toy companies._

_The Umbreon from the image in the package is a real Pokémon._

_Many, many more dolls than clothes are produced because trainers tend to use the dolls as decoys to escape Pokémon they are unable (or unwilling) to handle; some Pokémon even use them with the move __**[Substitute]**__ to avoid having to spend their energy creating simulacra, instead exchanging places with a doll - masters of the technique can make both ends meet half-way, making a flimsy regular Substitute with minimum energy expenditure around a doll to create a distraction rather than simply escaping a hit._

_Needless to say, store any such dolls under __**[Battle Items]**__ to prevent throwing something you want to keep._

_The adjustable nature of the clothes means that the skirt does fit over your pants._

_**Contains:**__ One cap, one scarf/neckerchief, one blouse, one skirt, all sized Medium._

_**Set bonus:**__ DEF +2, LUCK +10, CHA +10 (Circumstance Bonus applicable)._

* * *

It was simple to use Scratch and open the plastic packaging, revealing the outfit.

The red hat she had at first thought a beret had a small bill, the neckerchief was the same color of red and had a simplified Pokéball design - the two halves of a circle with a dot - the same as the skirt, the blouse was mostly white with the cuffs having a red border on both edges.

Soft.

She would totally wear it as soon as she had her bath.

Pikachu was wearing a floral kimono, pink with cherry blossoms. He looked good in it, but she still had the niggling thought that maybe a human would have put it on a female.

Caterpie was on her head, so she absentmindedly gave her a soft pat as she held the outfit.

"Thank you." She said, once more feeling how soft the neckerchief was. "You didn't have to. I-I don't-"

"Girl, stop." He said, placing a paw on her shoulder, sending that feeling of a thunderstorm of an aura all over. "I'll tell you what I told Joy here-"

He gasped and clapped.

"You can make yourself understood!" He cheered, making Joy give him a confused glance. "Can you repeat what I'm going to say? I've been trying to make her understand this for a while..."

Nurse Joy let Weedle down on the examination table, having found him to be in excellent health, when Pikachu jumped onto it and gestured to lend him her hand.

"Joy, you are very pretty." He said, looking her in the eye as Theresa echoed his words. "You have the right to feel good about youself, and about how you look. It's not about vanity! Doing something for yourself is important, because it makes you _feel_ how you care about yourself; you know what they say, before taking care of others, you need to take care of yourself."

Joy blinked before giving a small chuckle.

"I gathered, but thank you anyway." She smiled as she retrieved her hand, and gave him a gentle scratch between the ears, making him coo happily.

Caterpie was given a check next, and Weedle took her place on top of their trainer's head.

"What wound up giving you the idea?" Pikachu asked suddenly, a flash of _something_, possibly recognition or curiosity, rolling through his aura. "Like, I know I didn't have plans to do this whole 'trainer Pokémon' thing until we met; what convinced you that this was...? I mean..."

"Hmm?" Joy gave them a curious look, and her aura flickered a bit; Theresa figured she was used to Pokémon conversing between them and not understanding, but also figured that Joy's curiosity was due to their group being a peculiar bunch - and not just because she could talk to humans.

"_What convinced me I could be a trainer?_" She repeated for Joy's benefit. "_If I had to pick, I'd say my dad and psychic training._"

"I'm done; it's your turn." Joy announced, setting down Caterpie and removing Weedle from his place on his trainer's head to examine Theresa.

"_It started way before I hatched - it started when my mom hatched, actually._" Theresa spoke while Joy performed the basic exams, like checking her temperature with a (cold!) thermometer that took the reading from the ear. "_She's blind._"

She sensed the twists and changes of Joy's aura coming from _light-years_ away and gestured at the nurse with a paw.

"_There! All humans make such a big deal of it! __**Everyone**__ makes it a huge thing and treats her like spun glass!_" She waved her arms before pulling on her antennae and letting out a frustrated whine. "_We can __**share**__ senses, we see through __**more**__ than just eyes, _and she can even see the future! _I'm not even the one affected, and I'm already sick of it!_"

The first use for her brand-new scarf was to muffle her tiny scream of frustration as she pressed the fabric to her mouth.

"_And she? She got sick of it quickly. It didn't help when some mercenary hunters kidnapped some Riolu, some of which turned out to be my father's brothers, even, and the humans closed ranks on her so much you'd think they grew feathers from all the hen-mothering they tried to do._" Pikachu, Weedle, Caterpie, and Chansey each thought about saying something, but each also decided that it may be better to just let her aura of annoyance flow out in its entirety before she did something silly like trying to bottle up her anger.

Joy was more or less in a similar mental place, just letting her pour it out after having inadvertently set her off.

"_So, she decided to be smart about it. She helped out in a nearby shrine, got them to teach her to read as she received itako training, became a writer for the local horoscope, started to make money _for and by _herself, even learned Confusion as a Riolu!_" She let out something between a sigh and a groan into her hat. "_Naturally, she was terrified by the chance I would be blind, too, yet not able to fend for myself the way she did. She and my dad would read me books, and took me to nice places to cultivate and meditate, and then I hatched, and found that I could see just fine._"

She flopped backwards, staring into the ceiling light.

"_Didn't stop me from asking for training, though - I know what you're thinking, by the way, and it's so long and difficult for humans because they tend to have to start from almost the ground up, while we have at least an advantage._" She held a paw up, and ghostly wisps of energy gathered around it for a moment, before she shook the chilly energy away. "_Spiritual training wasn't all, of course; the kind of mental training my mom did... bends the mind, stretches and reshapes it. Psychic-types grow stronger and even evolve through things like that, the self-discovery and the shifts, becoming smarter and more efficient in how they use their powers. Same applies if you want to use moves of the type, really, since you need to have it clear in your head, and you can't make something happen if you can't picture it happening._"

She was stopped briefly while Joy looked at her mouth, depressor and all.

"Excellent teeth." She commented. Her tone sounded absent-minded, repeated often - likely, she was way to used to saying her comments to patients she was not expecting replies from.

"_Thanks._" Theresa replied, then hummed in contemplation as Joy also gave her a clean bill of health.

There was a simple test. Most Pokémon were straightforward, living in the present but not much further beyond the instinctual desires to grow stronger, secure food and shelter, and the like.

Abstract thought and the kinds of adaptations her family had made? Not common at all in wild Pokémon.

Chansey and Pikachu had been heavily influenced by humans...

"_You know, there's a question I have._" She said, looking at both of the Pokémon currently on her mind. "_What does your name smell like?_"

Again, most Pokémon were straightforward. Logical, smart in many ways, but straightforward.

The bugs' puzzlement and reply of "names in the human tongue don't smell like _anything_" was expected, although their follow-up question of "what's the point of asking? Is it about the mind thing?" meant they were steps ahead of their peers.

"This is a test, isn't it." Chansey's tone made it clear she wasn't actually asking, and Pikachu's nod of agreement and look of deep thought made Theresa smile.

"_Just by figuring that out, you're way ahead of most wild Pokémon. Yes, it's a test._" She said, repeating for Joy again.

"One thing is for sure." Pikachu commented, pressing his paws together and to his snout. "Names don't really smell like anything, normally, but when we met you said you liked my aura, including its scent. So I'm thinking you maybe can smell other things..."

"Oh? If that's so, then you could even have scents associated with names, much like faces." Chansey added, pensive as well.

"So, since we can't smell that kind of thing, if we want to know what a name smells like, we would have to ask _you_ what our names smell like." Pikachu pointed back at her.

Joy was just pleasantly watching the exchange, with translation included. Abstract questions were entertaining, so long as someone solved them before the headaches started.

"_Going around and seeing the question from_ my _perspective._" There was that word again. "_See? Logic is good, but training thinking itself is important, or at least very useful. And no, I don't smell names; my senses only take in Aura stuff - at best, I can tell you someone is feeling 'bite of jalapeño while Highway to Hell' or 'whiff of perfume and mouthful of liquor to Lone Digger' while __**saying**__ a name._"

She pulled out the Pokédex and put it on the entry for Butterfree. Joy didn't have time to really _process_ that.

"_I read a lot on you all, and it says here that Butterfree can have psychic powers - I want to see if you're interested, because I want you all to be the best you that you can be!_" She announced, and Caterpie blinked, confused yet touched nonetheless. "_Beedrill have some, too!_"

The spice of Caterpie's aura flared with her determination, and Weedle followed, his own solidifying further and becoming sweeter in its support.

The symphony of the soul harmonizing and enriching the experience... hey, that sounded poetic! She'd have to write that down on her travel notes!

* * *

_**Through a special action, you have obtained a skill!**_

_**[Inspire] (Active/Passive) Lv. MAX**_

_The user rouses the spirit of those around her and makes them strive to do better; even without having to say anything, the user's spirit can energize others._

_**Passive Effect:**__ Adds a bonus based on Affection, Friendship, and Charisma, as well as relevant skills based on those stats (e.g.: __**[Leadership]**__) to the actions of Party Members and allies with sufficiently-developed bonds; this allows among other things the ability to perform Critical Hits more often, endure blows, or even resist/overcome status afflictions._

_**Active Effect:**_

_[Spurt]: Slight increase to stat relevant to target's current action, or activation (or re-roll) of target's skills relevant to current situation, depending on strength of bond._

_[Speech check]: By the user's actions the target group temporarily receives an additional percentage of the passive bonus, depending on the quality of the action performed (e.g.: Giving a speech); effectiveness and duration depending on disposition towards user, user's CHA, and skills relating to CHA employed while using __**[Inspire]**__._

* * *

The Gamer, convenient as always. At least she had remembered to drive the GUI's visibility to [0], making her the only one that could see it, while in the city.

"It's always nice to hear a trainer with an actual training plan this early in their journey." Joy commented with a smile, scratching behind her ears.

"_That's where my dad comes in._" Theresa smiled and had to stand to wag her tail properly, feeling giddy over being so informal. "_He helps rangers as a companion from time to time, but stays a lot, because he felt that trying to help mom in the future too much meant he couldn't help her in the present._"

"My second cousin, twice removed over in Hoenn has a Gardevoir that talks like that." Joy rubbed her temples. "It worries me that I could almost understand you."

"_My mom does need a bit of minding, and he's had a lot of practice keeping her from getting carried away._" She agreed that it could get dizzying at times. "_They both encouraged me to learn how to look for my own answers, though, which it also why I can say I have confidence in starting my own trainer journey._"

"I'm glad you're thinking this through." Joy said, taking her from the examination table and setting her down on the floor gently. "Far too many trainers rush off without a plan beyond having their Pokémon learn moves without thinking of compatibility; it's part of the reason for the gym challenge."

"_Among others._" Theresa tapped her paws together.

* * *

_**Mission:**_

_**[Move Tutoring] (Continuous)**_

_Why reinvent the wheel or the black thread when you can just get them from somewhere else? You can get someone to teach you and your team moves!_

_You just have to prove you can handle them, act responsibly, and show you are ready!_

_Get some proof, like Gym Medals!_

_**Conditions:**__ (Professional) Tutors Unlocked: 0_

_**Special:**__ Continuous Quest (Quest does not end nor expire unless failure conditions are met, a higher-priority quest prevents completion, or final win conditions are fulfilled)_

_**Rewards:**__ Moves will be taught to Party Members depending on tutors._

* * *

"Alright, it was a delight meeting you, but it's almost time for me to head back home and let my sister and her Audino take our place." Joy said, while Chansey wrote everything for the paperwork.

"_Sister? Is she like you?_"

* * *

Two Joys stood side by side, one waving good bye, as the little Riolu took her team to clean up.

"This has got to be the first time someone told us how different we are from one another."

"There's Brock from Pewter."

"Huh, you're right - but he wouldn't have said we are an Oreo and a Lemon-cream sandwich cookie."

"So similar in principle, so... awful to have one after the other. No wonder Uncle Glee said he didn't want to look after both of us at the same time."

"I'm thinking we should have that picture printed as a poster."


	11. Turn 9 - Mentally Preparing

_**Status:**__ Disposition [Affable (increased SpAt, decreased DEF)]_

_**Background:**__ A Pikachu that became fascinated and enamored by the concept of human fashion, he and another Pikachu of the group decided to do whatever it took to get clothing of their own. Sharp from his observations and full of energy, he has currently decided to accompany Theresa, The Gamer, on her journey in order to experience more of the world._

_You can tell there's enormous dormant potential inside him, reflected by the depth of his Aura and mind, but it is not yet ready to surface._

* * *

She closed the textbox with a poke, leaving Pikachu to stare at the place it had been.

Perhaps the bath of a Pokémon Center wasn't the best place to explain that she had **a** super-power (not the move), but it was private. The usual starting waves of trainers had already long since passed, and, although Viridian was the gateway into the Indigo Plateau, the advanced trainers were in general not expected to be in town. Oh, and people going to Jotho usually took the train.

Reasonably private, what with humans being unable to understand them.

Caterpie and Weedle blinked.

"You said this helps you out with using moves?" Pikachu asked after being silent through the explanation.

"Yes; I can get moves by working them out myself from my skills." She nodded. "I plan on being mostly a generalist; learn lots of moves to plug gaps in whatever team line-up I'm using, answer to most situations, with a personal style or two being obviously my go-to options. For a human, it would be harder, because _time_ would be a limitation - there would be only so much time they could reasonably dedicate to grinding, and having to start from so down below, they would need to have a more defined strategy."

"But being a Pokémon you can already use your... uh, stats?" A nod. "Use your stats to boost even new moves to usable status, letting natural combat experience make you stronger."

"That, and cultivation, and natural affinity... spill-over? That thing that makes it so that most of my physical options get better as I improve Force Palm and my skill-based buffs." There was a difference between a skill-based buff and a move one like Calm Mind; moves could fall prey to other moves and abilities, like Snatch or Unaware.

Skills? Those were a bit harder to stop, although an Oblivious opponent would still resist infatuation, of course.

"The principles behind Force Palm are the base upon which Lucario physical fighting styles are built upon, anyway."

Most Lucario did not actually hit as hard as they possibly could during battle, instead using Aura to amplify the impact, preserving their stamina and giving them staying power; coupled with a refined flow of Aura it made Lucario both hit hard and move around while doing so. She had checked; the bonus for a fully developed, properly-employed Aura flow was large for attacks and endurance, although it didn't do much for speed and agility outside of being able to kick off with great strength - that was better left for an actual move, or a swap for something that emphasized those traits. Uncle Courage had Super Power and Strength; needless to say, he tended to truly hit pretty hard.

Her dad's side of the family was gifted on the physical side - much as her mom's side was quite adept at the special abilities of the Lucario.

She had taken after her mother, mostly, but she was no slouch, either.

"I can also use the Party Chat option to talk to you without using telepathy, and you can to each other, too." Theresa said while getting a cloth to clean Weedle and Caterpie. "I see that people can sign up as groups to events, so I intend to also take to the field and have any of you support me as I would you, even if it's just spotting."

She took the damp cloth and got to work.

"I've seen battles where the trainer has another Pokémon out, but not to _battle_, and they also help instruct the one that is." Pikachu nodded and hummed. "I'm guessing that's why you're so invested in teaching battle tactics."

"Yup! Dad has done all kinds of different jobs for both rangers and the community, so he's picked up quite a lot of little things." She tossed the damp cloth into a hamper for used towels, then took the Premier Ball out, expanding it before presenting Pikachu with it. "I'd be honored to have you."

Caterpie and Weedle let out a... something like a thrill of agreement.

"_We_ would be honored to have you." She amended with a wide, bright smile, standing a little taller.

Pikachu returned the smile, bopping the silver ball with a paw and welcoming the light that washed over him and drew him into the ball.

_Wiggle wiggle._

_Wiggle wiggle._

And then the digital/metallic ***plunk***.

She giddily let him back out in a flash of red light, although the look of mild nausea on Pikachu took a little of the wind out of her sails.

"Bleh, the inside is nice, but the trip..." He muttered, wobbling slightly in place. "I think I'm going to stay out for a little while longer."

"Of course." She replied.

"Hmm, do you want a name?" She asked, then turned to the bugs. "I'm not naming _either_ of you 'Death Killgore the Slaughternater', or anyone else for that matter."

Caterpie chortled and shook with mirth, while Weedle nearly half-chuckled despite the second-hand embarrassment.

"So long as it's not an electricity pun." Pikachu said. "Please."

"Oh! I got it!" She turned around excitedly and pointed at her starters. "Edgar and Vanessa."

"Tyrell." She said, extending a paw to Pikachu.

"Huh, more name-ish than what I was expecting." He replied, but took her paw regardless.

"Of course! It's going to sound weird if we append 'Renenet' so something like, I don't know... Squishy, even if I love that."

The three paused for a full five seconds.

"Come on, we're family." She gave the newly-dubbed Tyrell a hug that lifted him off the floor, noting that his fur was soft and downy. The faint smell of rain from his Aura was soothing and it filled her with joy that he hugged her back.

The two Pokémon crawling up her made her grin widely.

"If anyone asks, you also have like six other names, though."

After the moment was over, she decided to squeeze at least one level of skill training before taking her bath and popping back home for a visit and introductions.

Working out Fire Punch from the Blaze Kick she inherited? Pretty easy; worked it out herself a long while ago.

Getting Ice Punch? Significantly harder.

She removed her paw from the tub of icy water, her incomplete move having done the job she needed it to.

It was a bit scary - OK, actually scary, to slow down the flow of Aura, to quiet down the burning.

But if she wanted to improve one thing, she had to make sure another wasn't getting in the way. Psy [Rise] was level 3 when she first checked, and it was clear that her previous training had been increasing the strength of her Aura-based boosts before her mental ones - even Agility was working primarily out of Aura, even if the trigger and framework were psychic energies.

"If you see the surface shaking too much, it means I'm losing heat and starting to shiver; get me out because I may be too focused to notice quickly." She said, having made sure she had nothing on that could... well, nothing on period save the power of her mind. Riolu generated more Aura than they could contain, but could still hold on to a bit of it and combine it with the ambient's... and she had shut down even that.

Naked was an understatement for the feeling.

Eyes closed, her mind not cast outside, but turned to see her own body.

_If I want to endure the cold, I have to keep my body heat in_.

Clear, in her mind. A sharp, defined mental image.

_I can also warm myself to counter the cold - no, not yet, not until I'm sure I'm not going to use Aura by accident_.

Dipping her foot, the water's bite was an almost-foreign sensation from how long it had been since her training had taken her beyond its effect.

_**Focus**_**.**

The rest of her leg slid in without the chill bothering her as much, although trying to keep her balance to get her other leg in made her concentration waver slightly and the icy feeling managed to creep back in for a second.

_No_.

She lowered herself into the water, breathing as even and neutral as she could get it to prevent herself from using any more Aura than she needed to. Her mind utterly taken with the image of her body being kept safe from the temperature.

Aura training came natural to them, so she needed to work harder to have her mind catch up, much like her mother did. The spirit she was well-acquainted with, although it was slightly less likely she would dip into that by accident before doing so with Aura.

She had seen Medicham and Gallade before, when trainers of strong will and noble hearts were taken in, a Riolu or an egg entrusted to them. She had even seen a Mega Gallade, once, when one of the elders wished to see if the Pokémon team of a boy from Hoenn had trained their own judgement.

_The cold cannot touch me. I am warm_.

Her family having linked their senses together, they had quite the spectacle when said Gallade and a Lucario that could also go Mega had a spar, free of trainer intervention.

She was starting to feel that little mounting pressure that announced the prelude to a headache.

Gallade had said that training his Aura, after having had to rely so long on his psychic powers and fairy magic, was difficult; he had slipped many times at the start and empowered his body with his mind by accident often. While nothing stopped him from simply adding his physical training on top in order to increase his peak that way, he and his trainer wanted to get a feel of the very basics, grasp the subtler changes his new typing gave him.

She hummed. She followed along the rhythm and voice of the aura that permeated the building. It wasn't a move - it wasn't even a skill, just something cheery and soothing to relax her thoughts and get her brain to stop overworking itself. Let the ego fade, be more aware of herself.

The team had been impressive. Everything she had ever admired in someone was exemplified in them... but the boy's health was... oh sure, he was not so weak as to be in danger by the journey, but there was a reason the Riolu that volunteered to go with him were the ones that wished to practice healing arts. Theresa herself would not risk humans that noble and kind with her desire to travel at her own rhythm.

She knew [Rise] had leveled up by the color that had entered her closed eyes, although she was a bit too busy getting her breathing normal and warming herself up with her Aura to read anything.

One level was enough for now, though. She had cut it perhaps a little too close by not stopping right as she started getting tired from using the skill, but given that she didn't feel much of anything after stopping, it was perfect that way.

Now she had to get her actual bath and go back home for a bit. She was glad the Pokémon Center could receive Pokémon just by the address.

Thank you, Bill!

* * *

"Mommy!" Theresa jumped out of her Pokéball and landed on her mother, who quickly swung her around and onto her shoulders.

There were two other Lucario in with them.

"Huh..." Everyone paused, although Theresa felt the little brush against her Aura and connected to her mom, sharing their sights. "Instructor? Teacher? What's going on?"

Wait.

She sniffed the air.

"Is something burning outside?" She asked, and the two visitors were suddenly embarrassed and looked everywhere but at her.

Any explanations or excuses were interrupted before they even began as two orbs of Future Sight manifested right beside their heads and slammed them one into the other, with a double swerving blast of Psychic hitting their heads again and making them bonk each other, with her mother finally stepping in arms' reach and slamming their heads together a third time.

While they were dazed, she delivered a series of lightning-quick, whisper-quiet strokes of Force Palm through her digits at precise points below their spikes, culminating with a full blow of Force Palm to their diaphragms, one for each paw.

Thus thoroughly paralyzed, the two Lucario fell to the floor like sacks of bricks, one of them with a goofy look stuck on their stunned face, tongue sticking out and all.

Theresa giggled at the sight.

Her mother let out a relieved sigh, before deciding that yes, that look is indeed funny.

She began to poke the other one on the back, looking for a combination of nerves that would result in another silly face.

Oh, they both could tell the two on the floor were not amused, but it was just too good an opportunity to let it pass.

"Please tell me you can get more of these toys." Her mother breathed out, sounding a little winded.

"Huh... apparently it's very easy? Why? Shouldn't the humans be able to get them? And now that I think about it, why hadn't they before?"

"It was decided that it was something that we were going to solve for ourselves, although there are better ways to ask." Her mother replied, sitting down, while the other two had the decency to feel awkward. "As for the second, I don't know."

Tyrell let his dizzy self out of the ball, turning around to face them for a second before his body caught up to him and made his cheeks go green.

He plopped down on his rear.

"What it- ugh... what if the humans thought it was a bit insulting?" He swallowed, forcing the world to stop spinning. "Like, hu-... humans treat some Pokémon differently, even if they share traits, depending on how much they remind them of themselves."

"That makes a lot of sense." Her mother said. "And I must say that your kimono is lovely."

"Thanks." He gave a bow that made him flop onto his belly like a puppet with cut strings. "An-and I have to go back in to-to return to Kanto, bluhhh..."

"Mother, teacher, instructor, I would like to introduce you to my team."

"Edgar." Her Weedle emerged and blushed slightly.

"Vanessa." Who bowed after being let out.

"And Tyrell." Who gave a tired half-groan, half-coo.

"Pleased to meet you, and thank you for taking care of my daughter. I have a name too, now."

"Mom, please tell me that Gardevoir had nothing to do with it." Theresa tensed and spoke in a low, dangerous tone that made her mother extremely proud. "Because I swear, if he convinced you to name yourself something like... like... Mellow Mercury Lovestruck Hep-Dog I swear, I will do _everything_ possible to get someone with Soak, I will find _Celebi_, or Dialga, or a mad scientist! Then, I will travel to Arthurian Galar, find him, Soak him, then... I will High-Jump Kick him in the groin."

Even through the laughter she had the sense to get embarrassed, a little. The other two would have laughed if they could breathe properly, but at least they didn't feel as bad for being immobile.

"Oh no, no! I mean, he is fun and all, but it was your father who wound up helping me pick a name!" She snorted and swayed slightly, holding her daughter up with an arm as her other paw stifled her chuckles.

"I am now Martha Clymena Sybil Imelda Zezili Fatima Renenet."

"You did that on purpose." This was not a question.

"Of course! After all, Cassandra would have been too on the nose."


	12. Turn 10 - Tea Parties Of-For The Soul

__Martha Clymena Sybil Imelda Zezili Fatima Renenet Lv ?  
Strongest Martial Housewife, Seer of the Will of Steel, Itako of the Mountain Shrine, Gaming Fortuneteller.__

_**Status:**__ Blind (only in normal eyesight), Disposition [Contemplative (increased SpAt, decreased MOV)], Internal Flow (DMG +++, END ++++, MOV +, AGI +)_

_**Background:**__ Your mother; there is little of importance to be said that you don't know already, save for that she's likely not fully aware of how many times you have eavesdropped on her. Your father likely is, but you both love her too much to burden her like so._

* * *

_Omamori (Protection for travelers)_

_Amulet consisting of a brocaded red silk bag with a white floral pattern, holding a piece of wood engraved with prayers, then had a ritual performed to have them attract good fortune._

_It smells like home._

_In most cases, the power they hold is minimal, being made by ordinary humans in large batches to meed demand - as souvenirs and gifts of well-wishing. Being made from scratch by people with advanced spiritual training, however, has given it authenticity._

_You can still taste your parents' Aura in it, encouraging you. There are even traces of everyone else over at the shrine, including the old woman that trained Martha._

_You'll have good luck during a journey._

_**Effect:**__ LUCK +10 when away from home, in transport/transit to another location, or performing tasks related to travel. Morale Boost. Friendship +5. Affection +2. Prevents [Homesick]._

* * *

Just the skirt? Over? Open? Closed?

Such a small thing, really, yet the whole feel of the ensemble changed so drastically.

In the end, since she was not expecting to be jumping around (anytime soon), it was decided that she'd just wear the skirt like humans would for now.

Her mom just couldn't help but take a dozen pictures more for the album. They'd upload them to the relevant blogs later. Along with the one of her and her two bug-types using the bag as a sleeping bag on the center's bed.

She was holding a tea party, using the plastic toy set that she had gotten as a "drop" from the achievement of having attended so many tea ceremonies and parties (both pretend and not). The instructor meditated through aromatic teas and the ceremonies thereof, while the teacher used incense and its equivalent, so she had decided to make their stay less painful and included them on her little gathering.

Despite having to String Shot them to broomsticks in order to prevent them from falling off the chairs, their emotions told her she was successful. A little.

"So, I went on my journey to spread Love and Justice, and literally the first thing I do after getting my Trainer ID caused an apocalypse in my own community." She whined, pretend-pouring Vanessa another cup.

The meandering motions of the aura around the two paralyzed Lucario more-or-less said that they wouldn't go _that_ far; it sure was a large revelation, but it was nothing Earth-shattering.

Or they itched, one of the two.

"Well, you have been fighting- excuse me, having duels with each other over whose idea is better to make money." She understood that the Lucario wouldn't ask for money to their trainers/coordinators/whathaveyou, perfectly, because she wouldn't ask them for money herself; it was just that she couldn't understand why there was such a huge fuss being raised over something that seemed simple on paper.

"They don't need that much money. Probably. So there's only need for one idea or two." Tyrell commented, cheeks back to their normal Pikachu-red, as he held his cup as Theresa had shown him. "I've seen _so many_ martial artist Pokémon on TV, and let me tell you, if the other Lucario are only half as... intense and focused as the Pokémon on televised contests? They want to be the ones to come up with the idea, or be part of it, or both."

The awkward stillness around the two guests said everything. Not that she needed the tell; she _lived_ there, after all.

Honestly, she liked a good all-out, no-holds-barred brawl as much as the next 'mon, but wouldn't this be a worthy cause to gather and pool together their resources and ideas?

Edgar and Vanessa, belonging to races that made huge swarms, understood that there had to be _some_ form of cooperation. The whole inner strife thing was pretty alien to them, or at the least uncomfortable in the way same sense one would look at a spoiled berry.

"We could try some _other_ competition, something that isn't physical, or rather, that doesn't involve fighting." Theresa mused out loud, then had an idea thanks to the presence of their guests. "Teacher, what would you say about a few rounds of genjikō?"

The wavering of the aura around both of them in mirthless laughter flavored with disbelief made her remember that she wasn't allowed to play _that_ for any sort of prize any more, since she couldn't lose so long as her ability to sense Aura wasn't being suppressed.

"If it's your discovery, shouldn't you have first pick anyway?" Tyrell asked while handling the cup as if he'd done it all his life; he was enjoying this immensely, it seemed.

"Maybe, but we'd need an idea to pitch in any case." She then turned to the instructor, holding the plastic pot. "More tea?"

Agreement, tinted with bemusement. Being a living Pokédoll certainly wasn't in their plans for the day... much better than what was likely to happen if they used Rest inside someone else's home, that was for sure. It would be terribly rude, for starters.

That, and somebody else had already learned the hard way not to fall asleep in the same room as an unsupervised Prankster Riolu.

She had heard the stories, and found them _inspirational_.

The snap of a camera brought her back from her daydreams of paint and frozen yogurt.

"You look so nice!" Her mother cooed. "Thank you again, Tyrell, for the cute gift... ow."

Her mother then began to rub her eyes, no doubt having overused Future Sight despite needing some more time to rest.

(Her mother would join her, and thus did not count as "supervision" of any kind they would agree to. Her father, most likely, would leave them to their potentially-sticky fate even if they failed to get him to join her.)

She almost wanted to ask if it had been a nightmare. Almost. It was a near thing, but none of the tells were there, so it could have been simply her writing... with any hope.

"Your father will be back in a few days, and can't wait to see you or help you train more."

Wha-

The sheer complexity of emotions that otherwise-innocuous statement provoked in her made her physically dizzy.

Edgar's concerned question brought her back from being able to smell her own stewing emotions.

"It's nothing bad, it's just that Riolu aren't supposed to be as advanced in Aura as I am, so training is..."

* * *

Her father, Zen as nicknamed by the Rangers, looked like someone had tried to turn him into a Mienshao and stopped a quarter of the way in, leaving him with a sleek and slender appearance. He even ran with it and trimmed some of the hair on his antennae here and there to make them look like braids, all to follow a similar aesthetic.

Fitting, as Mienshao were fast and strong physically.

Him holding a wooden sword while she held the more usual bone training spear was not enough of a reassurance.

She sensed his breath shift, heard thunder rolling as he directed aura to his legs and "blade", saw golden lightning enveloping them. Not a bluff or feint, then.

Not quite as good herself, her Quick Attack nonetheless took her out of the path of his, dodging to the side and immediately throwing herself at a different angle with another, having anticipated the second peal of thunder that sent Zen through the place she had been standing an instant ago.

Pumping Aura to both legs but using only one at a time was difficult enough, she was just glad she wasn't training to figure out how to rapid-fire attacks like her father could. Yet.

Her father bounced from his second step and into the wall of the training hall with a third dash, then at her with his fourth.

Tracing his movements through the lightning, a faint whiff revealed-

The impact of their weapons tore the spear out of her paws, but hey, she had smelled the gap in her father's guard! Bit odd it was a scent, but with all the burning generated by the intense, explosive movements, she figured that the place where it was _not_ would smell oddly clean.

She was not looking forward to the point she "graduated" to him using Extreme Speed, or the other forms, or started throwing Double Team into the mix instead of making it its own separate session.

They would have to train somewhere else, because he'd break the floor of the building if he went at his full, unrestrained speed.

Oh, and her paws were burning now. Blocking a rock-splitting strike like that was a bad idea, who knew!

* * *

First step, off at an angle. Second, cross in front and end at opposite side.

He had already moved, faded away with Double Team and leaving behind traces of a misty aura.

The thing about a weakness one was aware of was that it could be worked around so it was not a weakness any longer, so a pulse of Agility made her move a third short hop to prevent his paw from connecting.

She swung at him, following gaps so thin they were threads, but his speed allowed him to fade into the fog he was leaving freaking _everywhere_. It smelled like incense, this time.

On top of that, it was really hard to tell if he was using Double Team duplicates or just toying with her perception by alternating between lightning-fast dashes and turtle-pace standing around.

Another attempt at Force Palm hit nothing and suddenly he had slid beneath it and picked her up.

Her father's serenity spread quickly, and she just gave in to the hug and the complexity of his Aura.

* * *

"Complex." Theresa nodded, mostly to herself. "Yes, training gets complex."

The instructor('s Aura) shivered. Being the more physically-involved of the two guests, knowledge of her own training routines was of course gathered first-hand. Paw. Whatever.

She appreciated the effort. The styles she was learning for fighting against a resilient opponent by means of dexterity, precise strikes, and inflicting status conditions could come in handy at any moment.

[Breath of the Insects], heavy emphasis on moving from one place to another and hitting with great accuracy, preferably multiple times.

She wondered if Edgar would be able to teach her Poison Jab once he evolved into Beedrill.

She would train Iron Tail with Tyrell...

"Enough about that." Her mother announced, taking a seat. "How was your first day as an official trainer?"

"Oh! It went better than I'd ever imagined!" She answered. "Save for the whole revelation thing..."

* * *

Martha listened to her daughter talk about the first time she had gone into a town without a ranger, her parents, or one of the various humans that helped keep the kingdom the way it was.

Pallet sounded so lovely, and she did not say so just because Theresa said it was so similar to their home, if only with more fields, the sea, and Oak's Lab...

No, her little darling _painted_ with Aura, and even hummed the songs she heard from the very air.

Pallet had the air of a tranquil town, a different flavor of tranquility born from their countryside roots in interesting contrast to their own discipline-borne serenity.

All of their line could detect the blue fire of raw Aura, see the colors and shapes that spoke of _how_ a person was who they were, even feel something _more_ through touch; a powerful fire Pokémon would have a blaze rolling within their skin, flying types felt so light it seemed they were held only by tethers so bare they could snap at any moment.

Only her daughter could say that the recalcitrant Rapidash of the rangers had a "prickly" feel floating about, or her messenger friend Swellow's tasted like cotton candy from how sweet - if air-headed - he was, with but a glance.

She'd bet it was the influence of Zen. Zen had keen senses, smelling kindness itself, or hearing emotions and figuring out their state of mind by his ears - still limited to the physical plane, however.

Theresa gave her a cupcake, saying that trying to paint the woman's Aura or describe it would not do it justice, so it was better to experience it.

She may have been unable to see it, physically, but it was not needed; the little treat on her plate had a warm, inviting glow, reminiscent of gratitude.

Theresa held her paw, and surprised her by taking hold of Tyrell's as well. Her daughter had been training well! She could start to sense the tickling of the sweetness in the aura of the dessert just as intensely as she could smell it, and the colors moved and danced without Theresa's own becoming a distraction.

She had always liked sweet things and disliked things too dry, contrary to what some expected, and the soft cupcake melted with each bite and drew a hum of delight from her.

The teacher declined, not being fond of sweets, and the instructor was too embarrassed from their intrusion to accept one. Fine by her!

"Mom, I managed to do something... new." Theresa said, shy yet excited at the same time. "It kind of needs a lot of Aura? And that was with just Edgar and Vanessa."

She didn't have to ask, Martha opened her Aura and allowed it to flow. Their bond, beyond their training, beyond their skills, even beyond their quirks, ran deep and strong enough for her daughter to take what was offered with ease.

They were family.

She began to feel it, distantly at first, but she would know Theresa's sharing of her senses... which was odd, because she thought she was already doing so. This- this was _more_, in some way. Greater in intensity, in scope, something that was her daughter's quirk taken a step further.

She could tell it was her - a sound so gentle she could cry, a sea of flavors and aromas that both enticed and suited themselves to taste and made her want _more_.

Oh? Something... something new. Something spicy, salty, and sweet at the same time; flowing, but solid yet not? Like sand, actually like salt and sugar, d'oh, she just needed to think about it a second.

Hmm, something actually solid, sweet. Candy, clearly.

By the shape alone she could tell they were Vanessa and Edgar, respectively.

She wasn't connecting minds by herself, but she nonetheless could tell they were having a conversation with-

Oh dear.

Lightning, dancing among the clouds, sitting in the middle of a brewing storm at the very edge of blowing and raining fiercely if needed. Tyrell held a bravery at his core that reminded her of her own family, willing to step up against danger to protect those important to him.

There just weren't so many where such trait was so central; Zen had a focus and an edge to him, Theresa had an almost-gravitational pull combined with wide-open spaces on earth and sky.

Tyrell was a lightning rod, not too dissimilar from herself, only with wind and rain where she had steel and mountains.

That wide-open sky of Theresa was... was inviting her to ask? She had opened up much further than ever before, it seemed, and Tyrell was asking and exploring and answering in turn.

Martha herself was being offered the ground to stand on, the sky to play in.

_Damn_ was it impressive. No wonder it took so much Aura and mental power, even with just two young Bug-types she was feeling every little conduit in all participants.

Performing this techni- well, skill now, with just Tyrell would require most of what Theresa had to offer.

Gingerly placing a metaphorical toe, she asked if Theresa was ready to share whatever it was that had her so excited.

She _had guessed_ it would be meeting the kids from Pallet, or having found out that the 'Space Unicorn: Rainbow Delivery' videogame anthology version was on pre-order.

She wasn't expecting _riding Suicune into town at almost-hurricane speeds_.

She could see the future and she _still_ didn't know what her little girl had signed herself up to.


	13. Turn 11 - What You Are

_**Achievement Complete!**_

_**Doomed Enterprise 2**_

_Install Doom on a device that is not a PC/Mac, laptop, notebook, or tablet. (10/__**10**__) (Complete!)_

_"_... and because it's Doom, it runs on everything_."_

_**Reward:**__ +25 EXP. Bottle of Water (x1). "Doom Classic" tileset and item set for Custom Training Area and Pokémon Room (Pokéwalker, Nav/Gear)._

* * *

"Why were your, uh, 'guests' so upset?" Tyrell asked Martha after she had left the other two Lucario in a side room to Rest their affliction away. "I can feel their anxiety from here - would that make it Aura with capital 'A' or just regular aura?"

"Capital letters if they are _using_ Aura, normal aura for the general feel that floats around." Martha replied, managing to do a good job of centering her wine-red eyes on the Pikachu. "And that would be because I left them in the same room as our collection of cursed videogames."

Edgar managed an impressive volume to his squeak of alarm for a tiny worm; Tyrell made a startled hop to the side from it.

"Excuse me?" He asked once he managed to stop staring at the poor, shocked bug.

"Oh yes, haunted cartridges, cursed disks, an evil hand-held, even a few malicious consoles." She said with a smile. "Most of which have been exorcised after beating them, mind you, but the general feel is still around them since some of the code was altered when they were created."

"Why do you have something like that?" Tyrell asked, with Vanessa sharing his baffled sentiment.

"At first it was curiosity - we found an old, original Megaman game with a faded sticker in the used games section that gave off an odd, malevolent feeling." She chuckled nervously and shrugged. "We had guessed it was simply because someone had cursed out a lot at the game! We took it, because we didn't have an original Megaman. The clerk was anxious, and told us to just take it, and we asked why he just said 'yellow devil'. As it turned out, the game was cursed, disturbingly, majorly so, but Zen, Theresa, and I were able to beat the game with our combined mental power - this **thing** was _dark_; we would not leave anything to chance."

"And one thing led to another and you managed to combine exorcism with videogames."

"Basically."

"Mom, I have a question." Theresa said from behind her, prompting her to turn. "I connected the Walker to the computer and completed all the set-up... and it's telling me I have some extras unlocked."

"Hmm?"

"There are many possible conditions, with the one that unlocked them was to obtain a Pokémon from trainers with certain types of ID codes - in this case from outside the country - but I'm pretty sure I would know if I had received a Pokémon through international trade."

Martha's paw found the back of Theresa's chair easily, guided by the occasional flashes of insight that drove her movements without reaching her sight.

A stray thought made her remember the description of Professor Oak's home, and made her aware that most of the furniture in the house was either custom-made for their size, or child-size. Case in point, the desk and chair for the computer.

It was harder for her to notice the out-of-proportion feel it gave their home, although she was still abstractly-aware of the building itself being like any other human house size-wise.

Speaking of computers...

"It may be your uncles." She pointed out, gesturing at the computer. "Their trainers live across the ocean, so coming and going would count as an international trade on our end, which is linked to this computer as your account now is."

"That's great!" She cheered, pointing at what was likely the Walker. "Some of these seem nice!"

"Across the ocean?" Tyrell asked, impressed; Vanessa also made a little awed thrill and crawled up Theresa to look at the computer. "I'm guessing that's them."

Theresa must have pulled up pictures.

"This is my dad." She said, and Edgar let out a tiny 'you don't say'. Guessing from how he moved, Martha figured he was looking at the picture frames around the house. "Here are my uncles on dad's last birthday."

"That is one tall Lucario, and the other one is... kinda short." Tyrell commented, and with good reason - one of them was only a bit below average human height, while the other was a head shorter than other Lucario. "Nice color, if unusual."

"Don't let his size fool you, Uncle Courage can take everything you throw at him!" Theresa replied animatedly, and her tail thumped against the chair. "And Uncle Doo could run _foreeeeever_."

Martha tuned her out involuntarily as she began to speak about them some more, instead thinking about how... harmful, the ordeal had been, both for them and Zen. Riolu were highly prized among "collectors", and the trio's unusual colors and appearance meant greater profits for thieves.

She contemplated that word, profit, with the cold and serene detachment of someone that had the patience and the means for long-term planning. Profit indeed - such delicate operations, such _plentiful_ points of failure.

Cold detachment which with any hope would not attract Theresa's interest, as she didn't want her puppy to get tangled in a seer's machinations of vengeance. Not that the culprits _hand't_received the vicious hand of Karma already, but there were others.

There always were.

So she, too, would be there to 'greet' them.

"You should probably head back to Viridian soon." She said, placing a paw on her daughter's head. "I will take care of things on this side, you just have fun and get stronger, alright?"

The four of them cheered happily; Tyrell then remembered that he would have to go back into the Pokéball, however.

"Do not forget to get the games I got for when things get too stressful; I got lovely nonograms with soothing music." She said, lifting Edgar and Vanessa in her paws. "Do you mind if we talk for a moment while that finishes?"

Moments later, she was with Theresa's team in her room, banging her shin on what was likely one of Theresa's training things that she had neglected to pick up in her vision-fueled haze of memories from the day or so before.

Being Steel-type was handy; being a Seer, sometimes not so much.

If memory served, the beanbag dolls were over the bed, while the training object next to the door was a set of pulleys and weights for punch training.

"What is a nonogram? And... is this the tornado room?" Tyrell asked, scampering through the mess Martha had left. "I... don't really see Theresa leaving this much of a mess, no matter how much this place smells like her."

"A nonogram is a type of puzzle, also called picross." She answered, and quickly gave in under the pressure of three questioning looks. "And the mess is mine; I... got lost in memory lane for a small while."

She coughed into her paw.

She knelt down to better reach Tyrell, placing a paw on his shoulder. His hair was very neat and almost as smooth as the kimono, but she could almost feel the echoes of the peals of thunder present in his Aura.

Almost, of course; Theresa was not there to let her hear it.

"Take care of her, remind her to rest often." She turned to face each of them in turn, even if she could not see them. "She is amazing with Aura, and that is itself another problem she has to face - she's very sensitive, and even with training there's only so close something can be from her before it pushes through."

They flared to her senses, their determination a pulse she could feel all the way to her ears.

"Being in a city becomes overwhelming in a moment of distraction, which is part of the reason we live _here_, and why the 'nature reserve' is so expansive; most of us can easily feel people a kilometer away." She stood up, making her way to the cushion-bed and pushing things around to make space to sit on it.

"That is were the videogames come in." Tyrell stated, nodding slowly. That explained things. Vanessa and Edgar were a little overwhelmed, having never been outside their little patch of forest, much less having experienced so many human things.

"Yes. She had to use her judgement, be sharp, and adapt, all without being able to feel the slightest hint of emotion or thought. I will admit, I should have gotten into videogames sooner myself, and a better TV too."

She let out a little giggle, feeling around her for the toys she had scattered.

"It was novel to her, since empaths like us are so used to being able to tell these... these big _secrets_ that people hide from one another - who all treat them as something private and intimate - with the same ease we can see the clothing they wear" She raised a paw, holding a beanbag bear - was it the bear? Snout, horn, helmet with antennae, so no, it was the Space Unicorn. "Not that I can physically see it, I know. Yet again, not being able to know was new to her, but more importantly, infinitely less stressful."

"Being around power lines in a thunderstorm feels a little like being inside the Pokémon center during high season, while everyone is yelling." Tyrell shared, scratching a phantom itch on his cheeks.

Again, Edgar and Vanessa couldn't really compare their experience, since a dense crowd sounded comforting to _them_. They did understand that being inside a foreign swarm would not be so enjoyable, though, so they obviously agreed to keep an eye on her.

"She's sensitive." Martha continued, gently stroking the toy as she tried to keep calm, the better to disguise the changes to her aura. "She wields Force Palm like Lucario do, from having seen older Riolu and us use it... of course, only after having to train to be able to fuel it and withstand it properly; she notices things to that degree."

Edgar commented that, maybe if one of them was on her at all times, they could obscure the rest?

Occlusion was a nice tactic, if one thought about it. She would be able to notice big enough things, but waves of Aura too small would be left out - and big ones would be blunted greatly. Like wearing sunglasses.

It was quite fortuitous that she would have caught two Bug types, and one of them being Poison on top of that.

It would work!

She felt she could breathe a touch better than before.

There was... more, she wanted to talk about with them - oh how she would like to talk and vent her worries and give them warning.

She had to send them on their way, however, or else her heart would not be able to take it. Already she felt like she would cry after hitting "send" on the computer, no need to make it worse on herself.

She took them back to the game room that had once been a study, back before her child, before she had replaced her old desktop with a gaming computer and the old CRT TV with something with higher definition.

Theresa smiled at her, holding her Pokédex to her chest.

Regardless of what one called it, be it Third Eye or mind's eye, or even simply motherly instinct, she could _see_ it clearly before her. The waves and shapes of Aura gave her an outline that her own heart filled in, with the colors of a Riolu slightly softer than the norm.

Martha knelt down, taking her forehead to her pup's, hat pushed aside.

She couldn't _see_ her most of the time, even when they stood so close to one another, not truly, and was scared to death of something, _anything_ happening... but ability to see the future or not, she knew perfectly well what being a mother hen would bring. She had lived it, after all.

She had to let her continue her journey.

"Dream." She whispered, taking her into her arms.

Her puppy. Sweet and just a little bit crazy; wildly curious yet tempered with caution. Vivid eyes gleaming with emotion.

Even if she wanted to hold her forever, she couldn't.

"Not of what you are, but of what you want to be." She felt Theresa return her hug, Aura mixing and flowing gently.

She could see it, too. That warm blue fire of Aura becoming... something beautiful.

Theresa had to go.

"Of the places you'll see."

Faint whispers of babbling water, whiffs of ocean scents.

She couldn't stop her.

"The people you'll meet."

Her future team was too much up to chance to See, but yet she could still tell her little pup would be among friends, her few-shades-lighter hair standing clearly in the center of her involuntary vision, these three at her side.

Like she would stop something like that.

"Of all the mysteries that await you."

It would be dangerous, she could tell. Team Rocket was active in Kanto more than any other region; she could she the shadows of various obstacles lying in wait...

Yet she still had to let her continue her journey.

She released her, smiling at what could be, what her daughter would walk towards. It was largely out of her paws right now, and judging by the bombshell that had been dropped on her it was likely to be the case for some time.

She was barely aware of their parting words, vaguely noticed Theresa placing Tyrell in the walker instead of the ball, focused as she was on following the burning Aura and engraving the feeling of determination and excitement flowing from it into her mind.

Selecting something from her menu, Theresa sent herself back to Viridian.

Her heart hammered the inside of her chest, pride and joy at odds with worry.

She took a shuddering breath, then a steadying one.

With a smile on her face and misty eyes, she had a mess to clean.

Maybe she would attend to her guests after getting that done.

Or maybe she should try to See if Theresa would actually be able to make good on her vow and find Gardevoir; that sounded like a better way to wind down from cleaning.


	14. Turn 12 - Journey Of A Thousand Miles

_Housewarming set __**[Pokémon Room]**_

_"Furniture" set consisting of multiple layers of cardboard glued and assembled together in various shapes, when they are not simply boxes outright._

_Useful for when one is waiting for the delivery or unpacking of more permanent items, or when needs surpass availability._

_Or, of course, there are felines involved._

_Cheap to obtain or even build, they help out in an emergency or for when moving something heavier or expensive is not desired._

_Can be surprisingly comfortable for Pokémon with light or tough bodies._

_**Owned:**__ Cardboard Bookcase, Box S (Chair) (x2), Box L (Table), Cardboard Couch, Cardboard Chaise Longue, Pokéball Carpet, Cardboard Basket M (Bed)._

* * *

"How are things in there?" Theresa asked the little device on her paw.

Vanessa and Edgar seemed to like the smell, while Tyrell was testing the carpet, or so he said.

"This is good, even if the carpet is a little scratchy." She heard, the tiny viewpoint focused instead on her Caterpie crawling up a wall. "Might be perfect for cats, come to think of it."

Being a day of training, she had to regretfully remove her outfit for the moment, although she'd likely be able to wear it again in the afternoon.

There was a wide open park right by the Pokémon Center, nothing like the scenic views of forests or the rolling hills and fields she was used to, but nonetheless perfect for training simple things. The people out and about were... well, some of the runners had that whole "Oh God I'm dying why do I do this to myself" feel to them. Ouch. Uh, but other than her paying attention to them, nobody was paying attention to her.

Nothing like a school day to have some time to oneself, that, and trainers tended to gather at the "Trainer House" se had been directed to as a place of interest. A good time to practice, with the distant auras of others training themselves giving it just that hint of familiarity to remind her of home.

The sound of muscles doing their best to become Death Metal singers brought back fond memories, of drills and forms repeated until everything ached. Maybe she would feel the burn herself! The Pokémon Center was just a few streets over, in any case.

She was perfectly aware that most trainers would choose to train on the road, but given she was, well, a Riolu, it was deemed a better idea to stay in areas with people. Partially for added protection, but mostly because the city was something that would be different for her.

She had been wandering forests and mountains for training purposes all of her life, even before it if her parents carrying her egg around counted, so dealing with large amounts of people around her was what she would need practice on; thinking about how a human would have to deal with the inverse was both a little funny and... slightly daunting, if she were to be asked.

So much new ground to explore, so many differences she would have to adapt to.

"Pokén for your thoughts?" Tyrell asked, with a questioning thrill from Edgar echoing it.

"It just feels like I'm doing things upside-down; compared to a human, I mean." _They_ would take some downtime in towns and cities - when not searching for other trainers to challenge - in general; _she_ would take hers in the wild, thanks for asking. "A city... I wonder what kind of people we'll meet."

* * *

_You have earned the title of Cosmopolite!_

**__Cosmopolite:__**__ A title received by those who seek exposure to and exchange with people and organizations outside their specific social system. Provides slight increase to perception in social situations, grants slight increase in CHA.__

* * *

Thank you, Gamer. Would she even notice the perception increase? Would she want to? There was only so much information that she was willing to take in about people, you know?

On the other hand, or paw, with all of the increases to charisma she was accruing, she would soon be able to make hearts implode at fifty paces!

* * *

_You have earned the title of Fledgling Feyling! _

**__Fledgling Feyling:__**__ A title for those inclined to behave feyly - that is to say, in ways befitting fairies and others of the Fair Folk. Moves and skills depending on CHA consume slightly less points, grants slight increase in CHA.__

* * *

Well screw you too!

She would graciously accept the increase, though.

Aaaand now she wondered how high would it be able to evolve.

Whatever.

Letting the team out - and taking a moment to store away Tyrell's own outfit - Theresa began to outline the training they would do that day.

First, the easy part: Checking what they already had and either making it better or shore up weaknesses and lacks.

String Shot for starters, since Beedrill had a lot of up-close moves and anything that simplified matters would be welcome; Poison Sting would follow, as it could be fired, making it an option for harassing an opponent and maybe poisoning them as well.

Vanessa would also get a lot of String Shot training. Butterfree and Beedrill individually were not much of a threat, instead being the ridiculous numbers they could reach what made them capable of contending with Pokémon much more powerful and larger...

So she would have to get _creative_.

... That had made her recently-earned title tickle a bit. _Good_. Her cheeks began to hurt a bit, was she smiling? She was smiling. Well, humans showing their teeth could still be considered to be smiling, right?

Tyrell had good control of his shocks and bolts, owing in part to the interest in the variety of performances of other Pokémon. She would get a handle on just _how_ good before seeing if he'd need to train for power (which The Gamer said he'd be good at) or if they would be able to move on to something else.

For some reason, though, his Aura wasn't as neat as usual. It wasn't just that he had gotten used to wearing _something_, more like the Aura was- actually, she had no frame of reference for that, other than it was more than _just_ being uncomfortable.

They would need practice following commands, of course, so she would start by teaching them to read a clock so they would understand her.

"This, is a clock with hands." She said, showing Vanessa and Edgar the Pokédex's screen, displaying a normal clock (fiddling with the settings was pretty quick; thank you, professor!). "I'm going to show you what everything means, for when there's something not straight ahead, behind, or the the right or left of you. I'll try to hold a connection with Aura, then give you nudges with it."

"Wait a moment." Tyrell waved a paw. "Won't depending on that become a problem if the connection is not there?"

Theresa's tail began to twitch in joy at being able to explain her training in detail; it made her feel like the instructors back home.

"Ah, you see, the purpose of training is to ingrain the movements into the way you respond to... whichever situation you are training _for_." She made a little twirl and pointed to a portly human on a bike, a Pidgey flying overhead shouting encouragement. "It's like learning to ride a bike with the little side wheels; it's going to hold you up until you are holding yourself and they no longer touch the ground, at which point they get removed so you can move even better."

"Didn't you say you were going to take advantage it in battle?"

"And if I can't, the training will be there to keep you from stumbling." She nodded resolutely, with Vanessa following suit.

"You have thought of everything, didn't you." Tyrell said, paws on his hips and deeply impressed.

"That..." She blushed in response, scratching her cheeks and looking off to the side. "That is how we do training back home; I just paid attention when they told us why."

Vanessa did think that that made it slightly less impressive, but it was sensible.

It wouldn't take long; an INT score of nine or ten was about the number most children had, barring special cases and Pokémon with certain circumstances. The teaching part itself would be quick.

No, the hard part was connecting the team like she intended. It was easy for the Lucario, with their deeper reserves and their strength, than to her modest pool and lower 'pressure'.

She knew what to look for, how it felt, but in her case she had had an active paw in shaping it, in accepting it. It was _easy_ for her to follow her instructors, and so far she had not really found some shape she couldn't contort herself into, a scent she couldn't trail or color she couldn't follow.

A few she didn't _want to_, but she _could_ do it.

A Caterpie's mental abilities were as dormant as their physiology, however, and so she would have to bear the brunt of the effort herself until Vanessa had evolved.

Having blown her reserves of mental power by training [Rise], leaving nothing to spare for [Trance], didn't help - sure, she she had regained some energy since, but not enough to get her far enough from the red to try. She could have increased her pool with her carefully-hoarded stat points, but she was waiting until the gains from regular traning tapered off, no longer gaining points when she analyzed battle strategies, completed puzzles, or comprehended portions of Professor Oak's research.

"Is this better?" She asked, eyes closed in concentration and paws extended towards Vanessa; she _intended_ to give her awareness of 'something at nine o'clock', but instead made the caterpillar laugh.

While both her starters had lower Aura than her, letting her affect them more easily despite their lack of sensitivity, the Bug type in general was greatly conductive of Aura; she was losing Aura because it went every which way as soon as it touched them.

The Poison type was more of the same, and a Caterpie was already difficult enough.

* * *

Tyrell, they had found, was perhaps a little too used to having other Pikachu around; while he had good aim, she really thought he should learn Agility and Iron Tail, to which he agreed.

Edgar could tag him most of the time with String Shot, at least when Tyrell didn't use Quick Attack by accident instead. It was easy and tempting, to pour your energy into a sprint and do that instead; the difference was subtle, for the most part, and given all the different ways of achieving either effect (many of which were blurring the line, as she herself did) it was starting to frustrate the Pikachu.

Tyrell knew he just had to speed up without tensing up so much, but he kept doing something different - so she said, but then again she was the one that could tell. He had adjusted the way he moved several times already, following directions; they may have not yet resulted in the move they wanted, but he would admit he felt a difference from how he did things before.

Had they met sooner, maybe he wouldn't have had to replace the "Starmie's Cheerleader Set" five times. Two, at most, given that he doubted any form of training would have prepared him for over two-dozen easily-excited Pichu.

Not that he was a fan of the Starmie's, or most sports, but the purple had a lovely sheen to it.

Edgar may have been slower than him, but he had learned how to lead his shots, likely due to that hesitance that The Gamer had detected in his "disposition".

Another shot of silk. Energy gathered into his legs. A burst of silver light followed him as he passed far ahead of the second shot Edgar had tried to hedge him into by launching his first one off-center.

Come on! Again?

What did "control your own mind" even _mean_? When something came at him, he put his all into not being there! It just made sense! Not being there and then hitting the opponent, of course - or setting up to create an opening and...

How long had they been training? He was getting quite tired, mentally, from having to concentrate so much. "Figuring out what takes for you to make a stronger picture of yourself", his tail; he was sure that that was a consequence of living with a Seer, or martial artists, or likely both, what with the "making you aware of the fact that you are already doing it".

Then Vanessa pipped in, just as Edgar was firing another shot, with "pretend it's going to stain your clothes".

The silken projectile felt like the only thing that existed, the only thing that mattered, if he could move faster than it then all would be fine!

Of course, the headache made it feel a little less like a victory. At the very least, Theresa was using what remained of her Aura to make him feel _way_ better via hugs.

"...!"

What was that?

"..."

No thanks, he wanted to lay down for a bit, uninterested in flying to the moon to have some of the rabbit's rice cakes.

He was just going to inspect the inside of his eyelids for a moment, or two, maybe a century just to be safe.


	15. Turn 13 - The Gift of Foresight

_**Psy [Rise] (Active/Passive) Lv. 7 (EXP: 1.07%):**_

_A skill derived from manipulating mental power, turning it inwards into the user's body._

_With energy derived from the mind itself, it can enhance the body and senses; similar in both purpose and result as most **Aura [Internal]**-based skills._

_As all other psychic powers, it depends heavily on the user's ability to imagine an effect. The user making a stronger picture of themselves is a critical skill to have, and differences in the style, execution, and spread of the buffs are as diverse as there are users._

_Proprioception, strength, reflexes, and self-healing are some of the basic effects within this category._

_On its own, it won't do much for the user against attacks on perception, be them from use of **Psy [Trance]** or other Types, like [Ghost]._

_Numerous [Psychic] types depend on their psychic power to properly move their bodies through an instinctive application of **[Rise]**._

_Passively speeds up natural HP recovery and adds to physical performance depending on skill level and related points' ratio._

_Active use adds bonus to skills and moves based on skill level, INT, WIS, spent points, and proficiency in specific applications of **[Rise]**; partially substitutes SP (Stam) use, partially substitutes PP (Power) use._

_**Warning:** Using up large portions of Mental reserves will lead to HP loss, rapid depletion of SP (Stam) and AP (Aura), and debuffs to point recovery as well as to various stats._

* * *

Carrying the dizzy Pikachu out of the sun and under the tree she was using to hang her bag, Theresa pouted at the same time she felt like cheering.

Tyrell was getting closer to making Agility work, but the way he had gone through nearly the entirety of his reserves was a little concerning; they should have saved that particular motivation for later, once he got more used to moving his mental energy around.

Granted, his mental/psychic pool was currently smaller than hers, but even so he shouldn't have been _able_ to push that hard, that fast, in one go like he had. He clearly had an affinity, which they would do well in cultivating.

"I think we should stop here." She said, and pulled out a paw-shaped biscuit with a flourish. "Which means, treats!"

Being careful not to move his head too suddenly, Tyrell accepted the snack as she gave Edgar and Vanessa theirs... he mumbled about not being sure he wanted _anything_ other than something for the headache, but he'd clearly been interested by its smell, and taking a bite-

"Alright, what do I have to zap to get another?" He tossed the second half into his mouth, the cheese and jalapeño biscuit/treat _thing_ making him feel like he could do just about anything.

She knew he felt that way, beyond doubt; she had a whole selection of flavors for a _reason_. So, she gave them another. Edgar and Vanessa were overjoyed - pizza flavor became a favorite among them.

"This went a little further than I wanted, so we'll have three." She manifested one of her own from her inventory, an original caramel-flavor one, and ate it.

Needless to say, they had to wait for a few moments before the conversation continued.

Not that they minded, or even noticed. Only the best from Uncle Doo.

Theresa gently rubbed circles around the spots where Tyrell felt his headache the strongest, gently pushing warm Aura through her paws. It couldn't reach too far with any kind of speed, but she could still help him fill back up a little and blunt the edge off the rebound.

Stimulating nerve and pressure points, there was a feeling of quiet elation coming from her heart, surrounded by Pokémon as she was.

Humans really were a blessed sort, she felt.

She then became aware that she hadn't gotten much physical training done since getting The Gamer, in part because of the relative haste of the trip to Kanto, but mostly because she (and her parents) wanted to see the more exotic uses and abilities that it had granted her. Gaining Wisdom and Intelligence from talking things over had spurred that on, and so she had tested it by learning things.

* * *

**_Through a special action to bring relief, you have obtained a new skill!_ **

_**[Massage] (Active) (NEW!) Lv. 3 (EXP: 0.00%):**_

_Technique to relieve stress and pain, enhanced by Aura and directed by a Riolu's heightened perception to greatly increase its effectiveness._

_By stimulating the flow of blood and Aura, both in muscles and acupressure points, various physical conditions can be lessened, as well as physical symptoms of other conditions._

_**Effect:** (Per second of use) Slightly reduces fatigue, slightly relieves physical pain. Using AP increases effects by 10%, increases speed of stamina recovery by 5%._

* * *

It made some sense. She knew the basic, non-Aura technique, the theory anyway, and with Aura Sight it was more than evident where to apply it.

It was a lot like using Laser Focus, to be honest.

Vulnerable spots just... _jumped_ at her eyes with some concentration, making even brief contact or even glancing blows hurt more than one would think.

Just another way for Lucario to save strength.

She had to admit, being in a pile with her team? It was so much unlike anything she had experienced before. The link between them, young and small as it was, felt different.

Hmm? There seemed to be more auras all around, but being surrounded so closely made it so she wasn't getting much information out of them.

With the bugs squeezing up to her and Tyrell being so soft, she felt pretty good about-

A spark jumped from Tyrell to her paw, the mild shock making it involuntarily jerk away for a moment, but shaking it for a little while got rid of the tingling.

"Sorry." She said. "Put a little too much on the paths that run to your cheeks."

Well, she now had someone to help train Thunderpunch. Tyrell's Ability would mean he'd be able to gauge her progress much better than she had his own with Agility.

So much to _do_. Using psychic powers to speed along training was just so much more of an influence in her time management than she'd realized, even if she had been clearly aware of it.

Oh, taking into account that her kind all shared the same body structure as well, passing down and refining many arts and styles through generations.

Hoooooly cow.

Even if she had spent the Aura she had set aside for training already, she decided to go through some of the forms if only once, to feel the difference.

Using Moves through The Gamer made them as close to textbook-perfect as she could make them with her best effort, with perfect consistency, barring running her stamina into critical levels - or suffering from debuffs.

Even without it, she was more conscious than ever before of how she moved, and there was an amazing ease of repeating said movements - again, save for lapses in concentration, debuffs, and tiring herself out (the trigger point being nowhere near as low as with assistance, however).

She would try once Tyrell's likely-burning headache went down some more.

* * *

Vanessa felt...

It was hard for her to say just _what_ she was feeling.

She was both excited and overwhelmed, knowing just what waited around the corner.

She knew, clearly, that Butterfree were lightly psychic, and mildly telepathic in most cases; there was a reason a Butterfree swarm was both dangerous and yet so underestimated.

A networked group of psychics, no matter how weak they were individually, had a greater awareness of what (and who) constituted a threat to the swarm than a group of hyper-aggressive giant wasps; they were not known to attack any wandering soul that chanced upon them, so people did not regard them with the same _wariness_ as a swarm of Beedrill.

It was a different thing to know that it could be applied to training.

First up, Theresa went through what she called the basic style - a form of boxing that nonetheless left her with the option of striking with her tail or lashing out with a kick, if standard boxing rules were not being imposed.

So, even _more_ rules for hitting one another were a thing.

She knew humans and their leagues had additional challenges, but making certain _kinds_ of attacks against the rules was a new one for her. And for Edgar, of course.

Then Theresa, her trainer, shifted to something less tightly-guarded, something where she moved around and lunged to reach her imaginary opponent with her palm, rather than a punch.

Vanessa did wonder, though, what was the plan for the rest of the day.

"Wander around and help people." Theresa replied, making a face as she awkwardly slowed down. "It's not safe to keep going after an overload like that, and I don't think I can train myself while you're hurt; I'll just look for quests and see if I can earn any interesting things."

Tyrell mumbled something about being able to feel sorry if only watching her bounce around were not making him more dizzy.

"I wonder if the internet has anything for me." Theresa said, checking her Pokédex. "Produce theft, missing objects, child cooking competition? Ah- wait, only a single food-related title max? Aw, I can't enter..."

So, apparently, being able to cook normally and doing so in the wild counted separately.

Under what even wild Pokémon like her knew were normal circumstances, the humans took care of cooking, too, so _that_ explained a few things.

"Wait." Theresa pressed a few buttons and looked some more. "I think the rewards for some of these can be used to complete others?"

"Wait, haunted building?" Theresa did not _sound_ any different, but a harsh glow came from her eyes due to Foresight and ghostly wisps rose from her paws from either Shadow Ball or Shadow Claw being on the verge of forming.

Huh.

"Bonus objective?" Theresa muttered, likely watching one of the screens of her power, currently only for her eyes. "Uncover the mystery of the haunting? So it may not _actually_ be haunted?"

"That was, ah, a little extreme?" Tyrell made it sound like a question at the end, likely feeling as confused as the bugs were. "Not fond of ghosts, I take it?"

"Hmm?" Theresa turned to him, taking a second to understand what Tyrell had said. "Ah, no, ghosts can be nice- I mean, I do wonder why we don't have _more_ back home, but this? Hauntings?"

She frowned at the screen, Foresight once more giving her eyes a baleful shine.

It was a pity that ghosts resisted bugs, but she _did_ say it was an investigation, not an exorcism.

"Why does a bonus condition require charisma? Is it because it is in a spa?" She mumbled, eyes starting to flicker towards the slowly-increasing numbers of humans that were visiting the park.

Alright, it was their cue. A brief look at Edgar and they (somehow) agreed to let her have the first turn; maybe he understood her better than she'd figured, because she really wanted to be out of the Pokéball for a little longer.

So she crawled up her trainer and came to rest atop her head, settling neatly between her ears like a squishy green hat.

Vanessa could _feel_ the contentment that radiated from the girl, and a small rhythmic sway made her guess that her tail was wagging.

Theresa returned to her search with a big smile and relaxed shoulders.

"At least two female Pokémon? _That_ is not going to be a problem."

"Oh, do you think we can get a discount for a grooming?" Tyrell chimed in. "My head is no longer killing me, but a bath sounds _amazing_."

"Maybe; there are many rewards in question marks, so it could either be a big mystery or be part of a quest chain."

That... ah, being cleaned by someone else _had_ felt pretty good, so it looked like they would be hunting some (possibly fake) ghosts today.

_Neat._


End file.
